Professional Home Care Can Help Older Adults Manage a Heart Condition

Aging-in-place has many financial, emotional, and social benefits for older adults. But if your senior loved one or parent has a heart condition, such as congestive heart failure, low blood pressure, or coronary artery disease, you may worry if they can manage the condition while remaining at home.

Professional home care helps older adults, including those who are living with a heart condition, safely age at home. Non-medical home care can give you peace-of-mind and help your loved one manage a heart condition by:

• Assisting with day-to-day activities
• Monitoring health and wellness
• Providing emotional support

Managing a New Day-to-Day

When your loved one receives a heart condition diagnosis, a doctor may recommend lifestyle changes, such as a new diet or exercise routine, and prescribe multiple medications that need to be taken at different times throughout the day. When combined with additional challenges of aging, including memory and mobility impairment, a heart condition can feel overwhelming for older adults and their family caregivers.

In-home caregivers will help your loved one manage these changes and meet their day-to-day needs by assisting with:

• Medication
  Professional caregivers will remind your loved one to take medications on time.
• Exercise
  An in-home caregiver can encourage and recommended a helpful exercise plan to promote health and wellness.
• Companionship
  If a heart condition is limiting your loved one’s ability to get around or socialize, in-home companion care can provide much-needed social interaction that may reduce the risk of your loved one developing loneliness and depression.
• Appointments
  An in-home caregiver can help to keep track of doctor’s visits or physical therapy appointments, and arrange transportation if needed.
• Diet and hydration
  A professional caregiver is equipped to make sure your loved one is getting enough water and can help them adapt to a new diet by purchasing groceries, assisting with meal prep, or even cooking entire meals following a doctor’s dietary recommendations.
• Following health advice
  By helping your loved one follow a physician’s advice regarding diet, fluid intake, and exercise program, professional caregivers may help reduce hospital readmissions.

Taking Health to Heart

If your loved one is living with heart failure or another cardiovascular condition, keeping track of health changes is essential, because doctors often rely on detailed record-keeping to determine if medication adjustments or other types of medical intervention are needed.

In-home caregivers can also assist if your loved one experiences an emergency. Some seniors with heart conditions may be at a higher risk of heart attack or stroke, and an in-home caregiver can spot the signs and dial 9-1-1 to get help immediately.

Symptoms, such as arm pain or labored breathing, which your loved one typically disregards may be the first signs of a worsening heart condition. An in-home caregiver can alert family members about concerning symptoms so they can take the appropriate action. And in the event of falling or fainting, in-home caregivers are there to help.

Supporting Emotional Health and Well-Being

One of the benefits of aging-in-place is better emotional health and well-being. For many seniors, in-home caregivers can help amplify this feeling because they are available to provide stimulation and companionship when required and step back to allow personal time when requested.

In-home caregivers can also be part of your loved one’s palliative care team by helping to monitor their comfort level and ensuring that they follow palliative care recommendations.

In addition to caring for older adults, professional home care specialists also provide emotional respite care support for family caregivers. Bringing in a trusted professional to help support your loved one’s health and manage their heart condition not only benefits your loved one, but can also provide you with an improved sense of security, reduce family caregiver stress, and help you find the time to take care of yourself, too.