Do you know heart disease claimed one in every three lives in the U.S in 2016? Heart attacks and strokes are the most common types of heart diseases. People aged 55 years or above are the ones who are worst affected by this disease. With an increase in average life expectancy, many seek the help of a professional caregiver for seniors suffering from heart disease. Sometimes, they become their primary caregivers themselves. However, the task of taking care of a senior with heart disease can be overwhelming. If you are a caregiver of a senior suffering from heart disease, try to seek advice from a friend or colleague who is a caregiver himself. You can also opt for a coaching program to get some genuine piece of advice for caregivers like you, but first of all, have a look at the following ones for proper caregiving of seniors with heart disease.
Maintain a positive atmosphere
De-clutter the home and use soothing colors to create a positive environment. A cluttered home can lead to chaos at the subconscious level leading to unnecessary stress. Invite friends and relatives of your senior at home to stimulate laughs.
Make lifestyle changes
Encourage to make lifestyle changes as advised by the physician. This may include regular exercising or following a low-fat diet. The low-fat diet may be depressing to them. So, search some appealing low-fat recipes over the web. Request them to quit smoking and alcohol without any delay.
Administer prescribed medicines
Make sure your senior does not miss a single dose of medication. Use sticky notes or a mobile reminder to remember the medicine schedule. You can also create a chart and hang it on a wall to remind you about the timely administration of prescribed medicines.
Watch for side-effects
As a caregiver, always keep a close watch on the health of the senior for symptoms like a sudden weight gain, swelling in legs, fatigue, and more. If there are such symptoms, immediately inform the doctor.
Use relaxation techniques
Try to use different relaxation or stress-management techniques such as deep breathing, guided imagery, music, and meditation to make the senior feel relaxed and comfortable. Relaxation techniques can also promote heart health and boost the immune system.
Offer emotional support
In the absence of family members or loved ones, you must offer emotional support while watching out your emotional stability. Start by asking questions about how they are feeling and how the situation is going to affect them. Show empathy to help them in processing their own emotions.
As a caregiver of a senior with heart disease, you need a tremendous amount of patience and a long-term commitment. You can also take the help of technology to track their movements so that in an emergency, you can immediately know about them. Having a first-aid kit ready at home and scheduling routine exams also helps a lot in taking proper care.
Finally encourage them to develop new interests like gardening, photography, and so on to help them in coping up with their illness. There are plenty of online resources on which you can get advice for caregivers of aging parents or patients with a disease. One such resource that you can download for free is available at https://caregiverdave.com/free-download/.