After a heart attack seniors often recover faster when they can recover at home. Being in familiar surroundings can shorten the amount of time that a senior needs to recover after a heart attack. But, it’s important that seniors take immediate steps to make healthy lifestyle changes after a heart attack. When seniors are at home they may have a harder time avoiding falling back into unhealthy habits. Home health care can help seniors with their recovery and help them embrace new healthy lifestyle habits. Some of the benefits of home health care for seniors recovering from a heart attack are:
Nutritional Counseling
A home health care provider can suggest healthy meal ingredients to your senior loved one and show them how to cook healthy meals. Being introduced to new vegetables and healthy substitutes for high fat and high calorie food can make it easier for your senior loved one to embrace a new way of eating. With the help of a care provider your senior loved one will learn more about a heart healthy diet and what foods they should be eating.
Help With Housework
After a heart attack seniors need to start moving, but in a healthy way. Difficult physical tasks that are repetitive and can cause injuries like housework are not good for seniors who are recovering from a heart attack. A home health care provider can help seniors by taking care of some basic household tasks like dusting, vacuuming, and doing the dishes so that your senior parent can rest when they need to. Laundry and cleaning the kitchen and bathrooms are also household jobs that seniors shouldn’t be doing after a heart attack. Home care will take care of those things until your senior loved one is able to take them on again.
Motivation To Get Moving
Exercise is one of those lifestyle changes that your senior loved one will need to make. After a heart attack your senior loved one will have to start being more active. If your senior parent doesn’t really care for exercise and doesn’t want to start a daily exercise practice a home care provider can get them motivated to take a walk, try yoga, shoot hoops in the driveway, or engage in other activities. The goal is to get your senior loved one moving no matter what type of activity they want to do. Having someone in the house who will exercise with them or encourage them to try new activities can be a big help getting your senior loved one to start moving every day.
Medical Monitoring
After a heart attack seniors are at risk for a stroke or another heart attack. When a senior has a stroke or a heart attack they need to get medical help immediately. Home health care providers know the symptoms of strokes and heart attacks and can summon medical help for your senior parent immediately if necessary. Seniors have the best chance of surviving a heart attack or a stroke if someone is with them who can get medical attention for them right away.