You’ve probably heard that heart disease is the number one killer in the United States, especially among women. Strokes are closely related to this, especially ischemic stroke. However, many women believe that they are distanced from this. Heart disease might be the biggest killer in the U.S., but to most people, it’s an invisible threat that they do not believe will ever impact their lives at all.
This is a big problem, because if someone does not believe that they can be affected by heart disease, they are less likely to try and take steps to prevent it from happening to them. Heart disease can often be prevented with some simple lifestyle changes. Eating healthier, getting more exercise, and maintaining a healthy weight are all known ways to improve heart health.
Stroke might not be considered as deadly as cardiac arrest, but strokes can often lead to permanent disability. If you have an elderly loved one that suffers a stroke, you will most likely need to find them some sort of senior care, and it could go on indefinitely. In-home care can usually be enough to help them with all of their daily needs, but it does depend upon how severe the disability is. Treatments are still evolving as far as rehabilitation goes, but many people that suffer a stroke are disabled to some degree for the rest of their lives. Care is a must, and it needs to meet the needs of the person receiving care. If in-home care isn’t enough, then something more intensive will be needed. This could mean assisted living, a nursing home, or a hospital stay. Consulting with your mom or dad’s physician to find out exactly what will be most helpful is a good place to start. When it comes to elderly women, they tend to have longer lifespans, so senior care may be needed for longer periods of time.
If your loved one is healthy still, then talking to them about healthy living and avoiding heart disease is the right thing. Some lifestyle changes may be difficult, but even small changes can be beneficial. Keeping cholesterol and blood pressure under control, for example, can do wonders toward preventing heart attacks and strokes. A little bit of exercise everyday does the same. In short, one of the best ways to help people live healthier and avoid cardiovascular disease is to educate them and raise awareness. The sooner this is implemented, the better. For elderly folk, it might seem like there’s little that can be done, but something is always better than nothing. For example, many of the women that were spoken to for a recent American Heart Association study said that they do not know other women with heart disease. In the 50 to 60 age group, only 37 percent of women said that they knew someone with this health concern. Again, raising awareness and educating people about how severe and life threatening of an issue this really is will be a big step forward when it comes to helping people live fuller, higher quality lives.
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