High blood pressure can strike people at any age, but it’s extremely common for aging adults to suddenly realize that they are dealing with a new health issue. Hypertension can sometimes be resolved by adopting healthier habits, but occasionally it needs more, like medication. When seniors are trying out new habits, home care providers can be incredibly helpful in adopting new routines.
Regular Monitoring
Seniors who use a home blood pressure monitor to keep track of their blood pressure levels are more likely to be aware of how the things they do impact their health. Tracking blood pressure readings on a consistent basis helps seniors to identify patterns and make changes to behaviors that can pay off in improved health. It can help if elder care providers remind aging adults to take their blood pressure readings.
Dietary Adjustments
Most medical providers recommend that their patients start out with dietary changes when they’re initially diagnosed with high blood pressure. This can be a tough change for many seniors, especially when they’re asked to reduce the amount of salt in their diet. Home care providers can help to make preparing healthier meals easier, and also ensure that seniors are eating on a regular basis.
Physical Activity
Another method for reducing blood pressure is to increase physical activity. Seniors should always talk to their doctors about whether exercise is safe for them to try before starting an exercise plan. Increasing activity levels gradually can make this easier to commit to daily. Another way to help seniors stick with exercise is to help them to find physical activities that they love doing. That helps them to keep moving.
Medication Adherence
Some seniors might need medication in order to get their blood pressure under control. Elder care providers can help seniors remember to take their medications when they should. They can also remind them to follow other recommendations, like taking their prescribed medications with food if necessary.
Limit Alcohol and Avoid Tobacco
Aging adults who have blood pressure issues need to be careful about some of the other choices they make, like smoking and drinking alcohol. Within certain limits, some of these activities might not be damaging to blood pressure levels. But the problem is that everyone is different and it’s usually better to completely limit these types of vices for best results.
Stress Management
Stress has some very serious physical effects. For people with high blood pressure, stress might be the one factor that is still keeping those levels too high. Seniors who focus on incorporating stress-relieving techniques might experience better results faster than they expect. Home care providers can help them to build routines around stress management.
Aging does bring with it a lot of challenges, like higher blood pressure readings, but that doesn’t mean that seniors have to just accept that. By taking charge of their health and addressing the factors that are controllable, aging adults can do a lot to reduce their blood pressure. Home care providers can help them to stick to those new habits.
IF YOU OR AN AGING LOVED ONE IS CONSIDERING HIRING HOME CARE IN LOS ALTOS, CA, PLEASE CONTACT THE CARING STAFF AT HOME HELPERS TODAY. (408) 317-4969
