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Helping Care for a Phoenix NW Senior's Heart Health

February 24, 2017

Caregiving:  Keeping the Phoenix NW Senior Heart Healthy

Helping care for your Phoenix NW Senior's Heart Healthy with Fitness

Studies have shown, Phoenix NW seniors have a higher chance of maintaining a healthy heart if they start staying physically active and fit while middle aged. Why? Because as a person ages, their heart’s central pumping chamber will start to thicken. They may develop diastolic dysfunction, which means that the heart’s ventricles are not relaxed and are not receiving the blood they need. How can a Phoenix NW senior fight to avoid this? Keeping up with a weekly routine of 150 minutes of adequate activity, or 75 minutes of lively activity. As their in home caregiver, it is your job to help keep them keep them as active as they can be. Does your Phoenix NW senior smoke? Studies show that smoking is a leading cause to heart disease. Being the primary in home caregiver, you can help come up with a way for your loved one to quit smoking. Alcohol a regular part of their diet? By monitoring the amount of alcohol your loved one consumes, you are helping them to avoid heart and health issues such as: high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and heart arrhythmia's. Help them to focus on eating a healthy diet of fresh fruits and vegetables. Cutting back on sodium, saturated fats, and cholesterol dominated foods will also help your loved one to battle against heart disease. The more healthy they eat, the more healthy weight they maintain their particular frame. Regular visits to the doctor and in home care monitoring by taking medication will also help your Phoenix NW senior loved one stay heart healthy. Lastly, as an in home care giver, you can help your senior loved one stay on track with their heart health, is to help them with their stress level. Stress is a leading factor in heart health risk, and can lead one to starting an unhealthy lifestyle.  Minimizing stress in a senior’s daily routine and environment is one of the best ways you can care for them. Whether it be finding activities to help de-stress such as yoga or meditation, or simply just changing physical things in the home that may cause stress. Starting in the 1980’s, studies of adults between the ages of 45 and 64 were taken over 24 hour periods of time. Their activity levels were followed through survey, and heart activity was measured by way of specific heart ultrasounds as the study was coming to a close. In the end, researchers discovered that while half of the subjects involved in the study hit the “ideal” mark for adequate relaxing physical activity, almost a third of the subjects claimed to not partake in any normal routine of physical activity. However, despite these findings, they also discovered that when Phoenix NW seniors increase their level of activity in their daily routine even if done later in life, their heart will maintain its healthy functioning longer. BrightStar Home Care of Phoenix proudly provides Home Care and Support for Seniors, including 24 hour in home care, and support in independent and assisted living communities.  We provide all levels of home care from companion services to Skilled Nursing.  Medical Staffing, Home care, In-Home Skilled Nursing, In-Home Physical Therapy for pediatric, adult and geriatric patients, Companion and Personal Care for Elders with Alzheimer’s or Dementia. We also provide Home Child Care, Sitter and Nanny services for Children and Support for New Mothers.  We Support Veterans as a partner of the VA/Veterans administration provider network and area a Home Care Provider for U.S. Department of Labor, Division of Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation, and a DOL DEEOIC provider.  We Accept most Long Term Care Insurance benefits, provide Hospice care, Live-in care, CNA, Caregiver, RN, LPN, RN Supervision, Compassionate Care, and Compatibility Guarantees.  We are an ALS Society partner and Alzheimer Association member, providing care for developmentally disabled and individuals of all ages with mental health and behavioral health diagnosis.  Other services inlcude safe discharge and transportation from the hospital or rehab facility, Post Op care both short and long term, Pre Operation and preparation help and assistance, client monitoring for out of town family members.  Our service area covers Phoenix, Tolleson, Laveen, Goodyear, Avondale, Gila River, Maricopa County,  and Maryvale in AZ. We are very proud of our Joint Commission Accreditation to provide you the highest quality of care.