Ways to Help Your Senior Keep Her Heart Healthy

By Jessica Ott | November 7, 2022 |

Whether your elderly family member has a family history of heart disease or not, her heart health should be at the top of her list of things to protect. There are a few different ways to make small changes now in order to keep your senior’s heart as healthy as possible. Some of them may be easier for your elderly family member to keep up with if she has help from home care assistance providers on a regular basis.

Encourage Her to Get More Active

Home Care Assistance Thomasville PA – Ways to Help Your Senior Keep Her Heart Healthy

As long as your aging family member’s doctor agrees that she is safe to exercise, your senior should consider moving more. She can do this in really simple ways, too. Just taking a walk for a few minutes every day can be enough to get her heart pumping. Having some gentle reminders from home care assistance providers can get your senior into a new, more active routine.

Add Some Fruits and Veggies to Her Diet and Reduce Extra Sugar and Salt

How many fruit and vegetable servings does your senior get every day? If she’s like most people, she’s not eating enough of them. Adding just one more fruit and one more vegetable every day is a good start. Elder care providers can help your senior to start eating a much healthier diet that relies more on produce every day.

Lots of people end up drinking more calories than they realize, usually in sugary drinks. If your senior drinks a lot of juice, soda, or sweetened tea and coffee, she might want to keep track of her intake. Salt can be just as bad for her heart health, so cutting back on added salt is a good idea.

Home Care Assistance Aides can Encourage Her to Destress

Everyone has stress in their life, even your senior. Worrying about how to reduce stress is less helpful than you’d like it to be, of course. What really can help is doing little things to improve your senior’s diet and sleep habits. Addressing what you can that might be stressing her out is also helpful. Having home care assistance take over more challenging tasks is another step in the right direction.

Practice Good Hygiene and Get to the Dentist

Good hygiene does more for heart health than you would think, too. That’s because germs on your senior’s hands can contribute to lots of different illnesses from the cold and flu to pneumonia. All of these infections and illnesses can be detrimental to your senior’s overall health, including her heart.

Dental health also affects heart health. The current theory is that bacteria from gum disease can enter the bloodstream, causing heart issues. That means that if your senior hasn’t been to the dentist in a while, it might be good to make an appointment and keep her up to date with appointments.

Work with your senior’s doctor to see what other risk factors could be affecting her heart health. Tackling as many of those concerns as possible can help her to keep her heart healthy for a long time to come.

If you or an aging loved one are considering Home Care Assistance Services in Thomasville PA, please talk to us. Our friendly staff can answer all of your questions. In-home Senior Care in Adams and York Counties, PA. Call Today: (717) 698-8258.

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Jessica Ott

Owner at A Helping Hand Home Care Services, LLC

Jessica Ott is the Owner at A Helping Hand Home Care Services, LLC.

A Helping Hand Home Care Services, LLC is dedicated to providing our clients with a better quality of life through our support services while maintaining their independence in the comfort of their own home.

As a Home Care Agency licensed by the Pennsylvania Department of Health, we can provide families with peace of mind, knowing their loved one is in good hands.

We will work with you to prepare a care plan that incorporates your needs, your wishes, and your preferred schedule. Each client is matched with a caregiver who can best meet their individual needs, whether they reside in a house, apartment, condominium, assisted living, or nursing community.