June 3, 2021
They have tons of energy and for the most part, are quite healthy. However, as some people get older, they start to experience heart flutters and possibly some chest pain. As a family caregiver, your elderly loved one may have some heart health issues later on that you need to help them with. However, in the meantime, there are some heart health hacks that can lower your elderly loved one’s risk of having these issues.
Many senior citizens watch a lot of television. They may sit in front of the television for hours at a time. If your elderly loved one watches TV a lot, they have a higher risk of having a heart attack, than people who don’t watch a lot of TV. The main reason for this is because when someone is sitting down watching television, they aren’t moving around as much. This means, over time, their blood isn’t going to flow as well to their heart. In addition, people who sit around most of the time are at higher risk of becoming obese. There are links between obesity and heart attacks, as well. If your elderly loved one currently watches a lot of TV, you or senior care providers should encourage them to do healthier activities instead.
Another one of the heart health hacks for the elderly is to eat more plant-based foods. Research shows that people who eat 5 or more vegetable and fruit servings a day have a much lower risk of having heart disease than those who eat 3 or fewer servings of these foods a day. In addition, if your elderly loved one is currently eating a lot of red meats, this will increase their risk of having a heart attack. If this is the case, you or senior care providers should suggest that your elderly loved one replaces some of those meals with plant-based foods for good heart health practices.
Did you know that tea can help to lower the risk of heart disease? If your elderly loved one doesn’t already do so, you and their senior care providers should encourage them to drink tea regularly. The reason why tea is great for reducing the risk of heart disease is that it is filled with polyphenols and other organic chemicals. These help to improve a person’s blood vessel functions.
These are some of the heart health hacks for the elderly. Now that you have these tips on hand, you can help your elderly loved one to lower their risk of having heart disease. If your elderly loved one already suffers from heart disease, these tips can still help their heart to function better.
Sources
https://health.gov/