Many people that suffer from high cholesterol levels, clogged arteries, or advanced forms of cardiovascular disease believe that if they are not given a diagnosis until later on in the progress of their condition that medications will not be as effective. Luckily, new data suggests that this is incorrect. Research from the European Society of Cardiology indicates that it’s never too late to start medications to help reduce LDL cholesterol levels. When statins are begun, regardless of where in the timeline of their disease they are, patients tend to experience significantly lower rates of mortality.
Although statins can help at any stage, one of the main takeaways from this research was that medications should be taken just as they are prescribed. More than 690 people were studied for this project. The project spanned about 50 months for each participant. For those that did not take their medication as prescribed, the mortality rate was almost identical to the population that had never taken statins (33 and 34 percent, respectively). For the group that had taken their medications as they were supposed to, the mortality rate was only 20 percent. This is a strong case for sticking to medications as they are prescribed.
The main problem is that the rate of people who stick to their medication plan the way that it’s prescribed is pretty low. In this particular study, only 57 percent of the people actually took their meds like they were supposed to. That’s slightly more than half. If the medication is going to work–and this study indicates that statins work really well–then the patient needs to stick to their medication schedule.
Our in-home care specialists are trained to expertly manage medications. Not only are timetables and dosages an important part of what we do, our caregivers are also trained to track medication to help the people that we work with develop good habits for sticking to their doctors’ recommendations over the long haul. Medication is only a part of that, but it’s an important component of maintaining long term health and happiness.
There are other ways besides medication that individuals can use to help reduce the risk that they face from heart disease. Stopping smoking is also very effective. Even if someone has been a smoker their entire lives, there are noticeable physiological changes within a couple days of stopping smoking. Staying active, eating right, and maintaining a healthy weight also go a long way toward heart health. Combining these methods can cause even better results.
Make sure you talk to a doctor if you have more questions about how to live a heart healthy lifestyle.
Heart disease, and its consequences, can leave someone with a great need for help. They might have trouble getting around or they might need assistance with tasks that were once pretty easy for them. Having a caregiver that understands this and can help will be a great resource for your family. In-home senior care might be exactly what you’ve been looking for to relieve this burden for an elderly loved one.
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