After your senior has a heart attack, you need some information about what’s happening and what to do next. These questions can help.
How Bad Was This Heart Attack?
Your senior’s doctor has a lot of data about her heart attack, but what you really want to know is how bad this one was. Knowing the severity, or at least having an understanding of how severe it was, can help you to make some educated decisions going forward. If there have been lifestyle changes your elderly family member has been putting off, knowing that this heart attack was a warning shot could help her to decide that it’s time to get serious. Likewise, if you all thought it was a mild heart attack, knowing how severe it truly was can help you to convince her to give her body time to heal.
What Do We Need to Watch?
Heart attacks are rarely an isolated situation, especially for older adults. There may be some complications and issues to watch out for in the days and weeks to come and you need to know what they are. Your senior’s pre-existing health issues factor into all of this, too. If she’s already prone to heart issues, then a heart attack certainly didn’t help with those issues. If she’s got other health issues, like diabetes or COPD, then recovering from the heart attack can tax those organs and systems, too.
Is Anything Keeping Her from Going Back to Life as Usual?
There are people who are able to get right back in the swing of life as usual fairly quickly after a heart attack. But that may not be advisable for your senior at all, even if she takes things easy. It’s important to know what her doctor has decided is okay for her in terms of activity level. It’s probably a good idea to bring in elderly care providers as well, just to help out with anything that needs to be done.
What Other Treatments Might She Need?
After a heart attack, other therapies and treatments can help her to recover. Your senior’s doctor may recommend that she start physical or occupational therapy, for instance. Other treatments might depend on the severity and type of heart attack she had and whether she has other health issues as well. Nutritional therapy can help your senior learn what to eat that supports heart health. Talk to your senior’s doctor about what else you can try to help her to get her heart health back.
There’s a lot to do and to keep up with when your senior is having a health crisis. Make sure you’re making time to take care of yourself, too.
If You Or An Aging Loved One Are Considering Hiring Elderly Care in Pinellas Park, FL, Please Contact The Caring Staff At Assisting Hands Home Care Today! 727-748-4211.
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Becky Moultrie is Owner and Administrator of Assisting Hands Home Care Serving Pinellas. Guided by a motto to Do Good with Love, she’s well positioned to do just that at Assisting Hands. She has a passion for helping families keep seniors and those who are diabled happy and healthy at home. She serves on a number of boards in Pinellas County including the Pinellas Park Gateway Chamber and Better Living Seniors (BLS), leading the Membership Committee. Annually, she hosts a Silver Santa Party, collecting donations for nearly 100 low income seniors in the county. She attends Blessed Sacrament Church, Seminole where she is an Ascribed Member of the Rosminian Order. When not busy Doing Good in the community, Becky is at home with her husband David & their 4 children, tending to their beehives and digging in the garden.
