Cardiac Caregiving Tips

Cardiac Caregiving Tips from Homewatch CareGivers
To Help Women, Families Providing Elder Care

Strategies to Take Care of your Heart

—Stress and age are the leading causes of high blood pressure. As experts working with older adults and senior citizens, Homewatch CareGivers offers cardiac caregiving tips to help women and families who provide elder care so they can reduce a loved one’s risks for high blood pressure.

High blood pressure, or hypertension, can strike a person in any age group, but older adults—those above the age of 60—are at a higher risk for stroke and related serious disability. Plus, coronary heart disease and stroke share many of the same risk factors such as high LDL (“bad”) cholesterol levels, low HDL (“good”) cholesterol levels, high blood pressure, smoking, diabetes, physical inactivity, and being overweight or obese, according to the American Stroke Association, a division of the American Heart Association (http://www.strokeassociation.org).

Homewatch CareGivers (www.homewatchcaregivers.com) presents three risks and reductions to take in caregiving for seniors:

1. Risk: Loss of senses leads to over-consumption

Older adults lose sensory functions slowly, starting with the sense of smell and taste. Family caregivers need to watch for a change in diet or an increase in salt and sugar intake. The New England Journal of Medicine reports that over-consumption of salt leads to high blood pressure; over-consumption of sugar leads to weight gain and possible weight-related diabetes.

Reduction:

· Overhaul eating habits—eliminate high salt and sugar pre-packaged foods, read labels for sodium levels, eat larger portions of natural foods and fruit for natural sugar intake and avoid convenience foods.
· Adopt 3 new dietary strategies--substitute nonhydrogenated unsaturated fats for saturated and trans-fats; increase omega-3 fatty acids from fish, fish oil supplements, or plants; and consume a diet high in fruits, vegetables, nuts, and whole grains. Seniors aged 70 to 90 who followed a Mediterranean-style diet and had greater physical activity had 65% to 73% lower rate of mortality from coronary related diseases (http://jama.ama-assn.org).

2. Risk: Sedentary lifestyle increases risk of heart disease, depression

Being inactive, obese or both can increase a senior’s risk of high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, diabetes, heart disease, depression and stroke.

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Reduction:

· Walk 10 minutes daily—Federal Physical Activities Guidelines call for 2.5 hours of moderate-intensity physical activity each week. Seniors who are overweight or struggle physically because of heart disease, hypertension or other age-related diseases should start slowly, building from walking inside the home, to outside for several minutes, building up to 5 minutes and then up to 10 minutes per day to start.
· Add 1 minute per week—consistency with increased physical activity by adding 1 minute a week will help a senior reach the 20 minutes of recommended daily activity, which can lead to lowered blood pressure.

3. Risk: Fear of loss of independence leads to stress

As people reach retirement age and beyond, they go through an intense emotional cycle of change as they face new pressures--finances, changing family roles, loss of a loved one and struggles to age in-home. Stress leads to anxiety and depression in seniors.

Reduction:

· Create solutions for independence and socialization—family members can plan a social calendar to make sure their senior engages with friends and their community.
· Find volunteer opportunities—from schools to churches to libraries, seniors are a valuable volunteer resource for those community resources that face budget and funding issues during tough economic times.
· Get out of the house—self-isolation leads to depression; withdrawal form the world can lead to unhealthy lifestyle habits, like self-medication or alcohol dependency. Getting out is linked to overall wellbeing.
· Make a plan for in-home care in advance—family caregivers and the seniors they care for need to prepare a clear plan for the future to ensure the senior’s desire for independence. Respect the senior’s rights and feelings and get advice and support from an in-home care provider like Homewatch CareGivers to get an in-home assessment to help a senior age in-home and get the elder care they need.

About Homewatch CareGivers
Founded in 1980, Homewatch CareGivers is the largest, most experienced international provider of full-service in-home care for people of all ages, including seniors, children, veterans, the chronically ill, and those recovering from medical procedures. Caregivers are triple-screened and continually trained and supervised by healthcare professionals to provide reliable, compassionate and highly skilled services in companion, personal and comprehensive care. In-home care services are personalized for each client and customized care plans are administered through an international network with 172 territories which includes 19 international territories. Each office is locally owned and dedicated to ensuring quality of life for clients and peace of mind for their loved ones. Call 1-800-777-9770, visit www.homewatchcaregivers.com for franchise, company and caregiver information, or learn more from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwSRiMuM2DA
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Resources:
Among individuals 70 to 90 years of age, adherence to a Mediterranean-style diet and greater PA are associated with 65% to 73% lower rates of all-cause mortality, as wellas lower mortality rates due to CHD, CVD, and cancer.61 Knoops KT, de Groot LC, Kromhout D, Perrin AE, Moreiras-Varela O,Menotti A, van Staveren WA. Mediterranean diet, lifestyle factors, and10-year mortality in elderly European men and women: the HALE project.JAMA. 2004;292:1433–1439.