Heart disease is the number one killer in the United States, and elderly people are the most heavily affected by this. Heart attacks, stroke, COPD, and many other illnesses all can stem from this, and prevention is an easy way to help seniors live longer and healthier lives. One thing that many experts are now recommending is a systemic change in the way that heart disease prevention is approached. Some researchers from the Mayo Clinic and John Hopkins have gone as far as developing a list of things that could be done to help in this regard.
One thing within the recommendations made that has provoked a bit of debate is a risk calculator used that looks at an individual’s risk of heart disease over the coming decade. This is only an estimate and not highly accurate, but it can paint a picture for those at risk of what to expect in a worst case scenario if no changes are made to their health or lifestyle. Recent studies show that most calculators do tend to overrate risk levels though, and instead of inciting people to make lifestyle changes to improve their health for the future, they just scare people into complacency. This is obviously not something that should be aimed for, and a more realistic outlook would be far more beneficial to patients, especially those at risk that still have time to help themselves. The researchers behind this most current calculator have suggested some changes to help with this problem.
One other issue that has come up is that there are no “best practices” established in many areas when it comes to care and treatment. The big reason for this is probably the fact that each case is of an individual human being and each person has different needs and wants. If you have a loved one that is elderly or ill, you know that helping care for them never follows a cookiecutter pattern. Everyone is unique and has a different set of needs.
In-home care can help with many of those needs, especially if you have been put in a position where you are helping provide much of the care they need right now. Helping an older or sick loved one is an act of love, but it’s also quite draining, both on your physical and mental energies. It can also be draining on your finances as you might have to sacrifice your job to give the necessary care. In-home care is perfect in these situations. And if your loved one does have heart disease and has many medical needs, a professional caregiver might be able to help with basic tasks, such as driving them to medical appointments.
One of the biggest benefits that has come out of this study was the recommendation that more attention be given to those patients that are considered borderline. In the past, these patients have often been ignored since they are not quite at risk yet. However, by stemming the problem off early, the borderline group could never have issues. This would be a huge win in terms of preventative measures, and hopefully this will become a widespread practice.
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