Improving nutrition in the elderly heart disease Causes and Prevention

In elderly persons, heart disease is a common illness and the leading major cause of death. The main reasons for doctor visits and hospital stays are heart failure, coronary heart disease, and atrial fibrillation.

As you become older, the heart’s blood vessels stiffen, which could lead to these problems later in life. High cholesterol is the most frequent heart disease in elder people over 75, followed by coronary artery disease and cardiac failure.

Plaque builds up in the bloodstream and blood vessels which leads to the heart, resulting in heart disease. This prevents your heart from getting vital nutrients and oxygen. During such time an Elderly care service plays an effective role. The Causes and prevention required to improve the nutrition in the elderly heart disease patients are detailed below.

Causes of heart disease

The most common cause of heart disease is the accumulation of fatty hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis). Atherosclerosis is caused by unhealthy lifestyle habits that include a poor diet, lack of physical activity, being overweight, and smoking. Although genetic factors play a part in the development of heart disease, poor lifestyle choices also play a role.

The following are some bad lifestyle choices that might lead to heart disease:

Not getting enough physical activity and leading a sedentary lifestyle.
Consuming a diet heavy in saturated fats, trans fats, sugary foods, and salts.
Being in a high-stress situation without learning how to manage stress.
Not being able to control your diabetes.
Smoking.
Consuming alcohol.

Preventive steps towards heart disease

You can prevent future heart disease by incorporating four important steps into your daily routine:

Smoking is not permitted.
Keep a healthy weight.
Be active and exercise.
Maintain a balanced diet.

Smoking

Avoiding cigarettes in any form is among the best things you could do for your health. Tobacco usage is a difficult habit to kick out that can make you slower, sicker, and damage your health. It does this in several ways, one of which is by causing heart disease. According to the study, quitting smoking can reduce substantially the increased risk associated with smoking.
Nicotine, which is delivered via tobacco products, is among the most addicting chemicals known to man. As a result, tobacco use is one of the most difficult unhealthy habits to stop. But don’t give up; many smokers succeed in quitting!

Keep a healthy weight

Weight gain and a high waist circumference are both linked to heart disease among many other health issues.
Body mass index (BMI) was found to be a substantial risk factor for heart disease in a study of over one million women. The risk of heart attack and stroke rises in step with one’s BMI.

Be active and exercise

Physical activity and exercise are good strategies to avoid heart disease and a variety of other diseases and ailments, but as we age, many of us become less active.
Physical activity and exercise are beneficial to the body, but inactivity is harmful to the body, increasing the risk of becoming overweight and suffering a variety of chronic diseases.

Maintain a balanced diet.

Although you may be aware that some foods raise your risk of heart disease, altering your dietary habits might be difficult. whether you’ve been eating badly for years or just want to fine-tune your diet. You’ll be on your way to a heart-healthy diet as you understand which foodstuffs to eat more and which ones to limit.

The best diet for preventing heart disease is one that is high in fruits and veggies, whole grains, nuts, fish, poultry, and vegetable oils; alcohol is consumed in moderation, if at all; and red and processed meats, refined carbohydrates, carbonated beverages with added sugar, sodium, and trans fat are avoided.

Many types of heart disease can indeed be avoided or cured by adopting a healthy lifestyle. Let’s do our part, by treating our hearts right!

How to select an In-Home caregiver for loved ones with dementia?

We always want to give only the best for our loved ones as they did when we were young. Choosing a professional nursing caretaker can be daunting and tiring. When your loved one is suffering from dementia, it is an exceedingly difficult stage for both of you. A lot of us might be uncertain of how to deal with our loved ones suffering from dementia. That is when we need expert help from professionals.

Watching their mental health deteriorate is extremely saddening and painful. It becomes difficult to manage your home when you are a working individual. That is when you entrust your loved one who might be suffering from dementia to a professional nursing caretaker. Trusting your loved one with a professional home nursing services is assuring. You can be mentally and physically more present at your place of work.

A report suggests that every year, 10 million new cases of dementia are diagnosed worldwide, suggesting that one new instance is diagnosed every 3.2 seconds. Dementia is a non-curable disease. It only goes on increasing with time. Anxiety and paranoia are the most common symptoms observed during this phase. Caring for the elderly with dementia is problematic because it needs education, patience, and understanding. Families generally lack the expertise and skills to comprehend age-related diseases and fail to care for their loved one. It is also heartbreaking to see your loving parents psychologically degrade. A qualified nurse at home may be of great assistance since they understand the illness and have all the necessary abilities and expertise to deal with dementia patients. According to a medical report, persons who have a home care services facility at home live longer lives. Receiving emotional, physical, medical, and specialized care in the comfort of their own homes allows seniors to enjoy a better and longer life Because no one can replace the comfort zone of one’s own home.

It is important that you do a thorough groundwork before consulting any home nursing services. Because you need a professional who is experienced to manage the patients who are suffering from dementia. Verify their experience, certificate, run a background check and so on. Bonding is another factor that is important between your loved one and their nursing caretaker. The tie and connection between a caregiver and the elderly can only be developed through time. Because no connection unfolds in a day or two, patience and time are important considerations.

Dementia patients experience mood changes. They may be fine at one moment and restless and depressed at the other. Abundant patience and kindness are required. Being frustrated or annoyed over little reactions is not going to help. Dementia requires enough understanding and patience from their nursing caretaker so that your loved ones feel relaxed, and you will be relieved. The more consistent a dementia patient’s life is, the better. Routine is critical because it allows persons suffering from this horrible disease to stay independent and in charge of their life.

A nursing caretaker who regularly shows up for their planned shifts will not only enhance their patient’s general attitude, but they may also improve their dementia symptoms. It is critical that the caregiver you employ understands the significance of this. This guarantees that your loved one has the stability they require from their in-home specialist to flourish and remain healthy for a longer period.

Intensive Care at Home: A win-win for patients and healthcare industry

A home is a place where people can be themselves. Nothing compares to the comfort of one’s own home. Patient care services assure you of this comfort. Trained professionals at your doorstep in your own comfort zones. Research shows that patients tend to recover better and faster when they are in familiar surroundings, especially their own homes rather than being constrained to a four-wall space.

Hospitals are severely overburdened especially in personalized and critical care. A survey says that 8.3% of total health spending in developed countries such as the US, in India constitutes a mere 3.6% depicting massive headroom for growth. Home healthcare will solve problems by allowing hospitals to focus on critical care needs while also establishing patient care services for both pre-and post-recovery at home. Doctors are also turning up to home healthcare and growing more supportive of home health care services. Receiving one-to-one attention and having a tailored care plan according to the patient’s special needs makes the treatment more effective and builds trust among the nurse at home, the patient, and their family.

As per research, home healthcare or elderly care services can replace up to 65 % of unwanted hospital visits, cost up to 40% less than hospitals, and lower hospital operational costs by 20%. A hospital ICU patient pays around Rs. 35–50K per day, while a similar setup at home costs around Rs. 7.5 –10K per day. Studies have shown that recuperation time reduces by 15% when the patient is at home rather than at a hospital. Home nursing services are also growing in popularity for chronic disorders that require ongoing care like (neuro, stroke, paralysis, ortho, cardiac, diabetes, infertility, and so on), as well as for specific segments (senior citizens, special needs children, patients recovering from surgery etc.) A few years from now patients might get complex tests and diagnostics done at home itself. This will take the real care onto the next level benefiting both: the patients as well as the emerging home health care services in our country.

Home nursing services is a win-win combination for both patients and for various stakeholders, as it is emerging out in the Indian markets. For patients, it offers complete personalized professional care at their own homes offering lower convenience with low pricing as compared to hospitals. And for hospitals, it frees up beds faster allowing them to focus on patients with more severe health conditions. If you are a busy person who needs to conduct house and workplace chores, having a nurse at home who is available 24/7 to take care of your elderly, from personal cleanliness to ensure that they feel comfortable, is a benefit to your fast-paced existence. For patients who are bedridden, home nursing services are the best-personalized services that one can get. As we always want to give only the best for our loved ones.

Even you are relieved that your loved ones are comfortable in an atmosphere that they want to be in. Keeping you rest assured that they are under constant monitoring and under the experienced professional’s guidance, care, and support.

How to care for a bedridden patient?

If you are a busy person who must run house and office errands then having a nurse at home who is available 24/7 to take care of your elderly, from looking after their personal hygiene to ensuring that they feel comfortable is a positive advantage to your pacing lifestyle.

Being a working guardian and juggling to balance your work and personal life becomes difficult and tedious at times. Taking care of your bedridden elderly is a huge responsibility and should be done with utmost care and patience. Having a nurse at home to take care of your elderly is the best way to help yourself and your bedridden elderly. It’s extremely painful and disheartening to see your elderly parents bedridden. But ensuring that they are stable and comfortable is solely our responsibility.

Looking after their grooming and hygiene is extremely important to avoid any fungal infections, allergies, or diseases. A trained nursing caretaker will look into their daily bathing, dental care, making them wear their fresh clothes, keeping a check on their trimming of fingernails and toenails, haircut, and grooming. Bedsores (also known as pressure ulcer) are extremely common in bedridden patients, but the good news is that it is preventable. If the elderly spends majority of his/her time on the bed, ensure that you reposition them every few hours. If they can move on their own, then encourage them to move and readjust themselves quite often. Also make sure you stay alert on the common parts where bedsores are likely to occur e.g., ankles, heels the hip area and the tailbone.

Ensure that their bed linens are regularly changed and laundered. The trained nursing caretaker will take care of the proper nutritional care. They will monitor and record the meals to ensure they are getting in proper nutritional value and having balanced meals. Make their environment lively, comfortable, and fresh. So, they feel good in that environment around them. It is also extremely important to deal with the bedridden with utmost patience and care. Having a male ward boy nurse at home will help your elderly feel comfortable while taking them to use the washroom if they can make movements. A man’s physical strength is undoubtedly strong which will make them comfortable while relying on their strength for movements.

Let your children often visit your parents, talk to them, which will lighten the mood and make in a happy atmosphere for the bedridden elderly. A happy and positive and cheerful atmosphere is extremely important for them. Take some time out of your daily schedule and talk to them bout your day. If possible, try having a meal next to them or with them. Even you can read out the newspaper to them or play on their favourite songs. Never zone them out completely, don’t let them feel lonely. Make sure the place is reasonably well lit as per the need, the necessities are right at their bedside, and the place is well ventilated at all times. Reduce noise levels as far as possible. Take extra precautions during this pandemic. Always ensure their and your safety.

Apart from the above-mentioned points, one should also take expert advice, medical opinion, or help from professional home nursing services in case any other challenges are faced in caring for the elderly parents or other family members at home.

Why Choose Nurse At Home Instead Of Old Age Home?

Family is that one bond that lasts forever. No matter how old you become, no matter what your achievements are, no matter how far you are from them, your parents will always love you for who you are. When you cannot always be available for your old parents that is the time when you trust someone. And that someone will take your place when you are not available for your parents. That’s where caregivers/ caretakers come into the picture.
A sudden need of any urgency and you are relieved, your caregiver is there at that moment to ensure their needs are being met which will be lacking at an old age home. Because your caregiver is available 24/7, making you and them at ease. Also, it is very natural for you to worry about your parents, as they grow older, you think about how they will get along from day to day.

There are numerous advantages of having a trained, trusted, and responsible caregiver at home. They can make the elderly recover from an ailment, injury, post-surgery hassle-free and easy. This caregiver will also help the elderly with physiotherapy sessions at home. An elderly who is bedridden or unable to move freely will find it difficult to use the washroom or maintain personal hygiene which is taken care of by a trained nursing caretaker. Having a trained caregiver will ensure any mishappenings like falls, injury and ensure their safety in that feeble age of theirs. In addition, the elderly who stay at home tend to be physically and mentally healthier compared to old age homes.

For the elderly who are suffering from dementia, it is challenging to take care of them which requires knowledge, patience and understanding. Families, generally, lack the experience and skills to understand the age-related conditions and fail to care for their beloved ones properly. Also, it is quite painful to view your beloved parents deteriorate mentally. A Qualified nurse at home can provide a lot of support, as they understand the condition and have all skills and experience to deal with dementia patients rightly.

A medical survey has revealed that people who have a home nursing services facility at home live a longer life. Receiving emotional, physical, medical, and specialized care in their comfort zones helps senior citizens live healthier and longer life. Because no comfort zone can replace one’s own home. Especially your parents may be attached to a particular couch, a favourite chair, a favourite routine, or a favourite view from a specific corner in the house. Besides, relocating can be very stressful. Also, they are left with all the memories of us in that place, when remembered would make them feel nostalgic and happy which will lack at an old age home.
Because ‘IT FEELS LIKE HOME’, with a responsible and trusted nurse at home. You will definitely want to give your parents the best just like they did when you were young! So, consider these points before making a decision.

How can you help your senior family member bond with a caregiver?

Building a bond and relationship between your caregiver and your elderly is extremely essential. Establishing this bond and relationship will encourage open and honest communication which will work both ways out. Firstly, when you decide to bring in a nurse at home, it is very important to hire a professional from a Home Nursing Services Agency, who has experience in taking care of the elderly. If your elderly is suffering from dementia, ensure you hire a professional who has dealt with such patients rather than a newbie.

Caregivers often observe things that no one else does. So, make sure you listen to their observations and points with an open mind. The positive energy that you give to a caregiver that relationship will be awarded back! As it is important that even your caregiver feels at ease in the surroundings and when they deal with the elderly. You may also engage with some personalized activity session frequently between your caregiver and your elderly like watching some movie classics together, reading out their favourite book or poem to them, if your elderly can walk without support then going out to outdoor garden walks together, observing nature together etc., also the hobbies can always vary according to the elderly’s lifestyle and choices. This will create a bond of friendship and openness between the two and make their bond grow stronger. Because having a good companionship is a huge part which is required to fill the gap between the two.

As it is said, “Building relationships encourages independence, which has a positive impact on overall happiness.” Having cheerful and positive energy between the nurse at home and the patient, in turn, will aid in a fast recovery if your elderly are suffering from certain ailments or post-surgery recovery. Respecting and understanding each other’s personal space is also very important. It’s important for one to understand that caregiving or having elderly care services at home is one of life’s most difficult jobs. So, one must respect the person who is assigned to take care of the elderly and make sure you be polite to them. As they deal with these patients with the utmost care, empathy, and patience. They go through a lot more than you think.

The bond and the connection between a caregiver and the elderly can be achieved only over a period of some time. No relationship happens in a day or two so patience and time are the factors that one must keep in mind. As Pablo Casals says, “The capacity to care is the thing which gives life its deepest significance.” When handled in the right way, caring for a loved one can bring meaning and pleasure to you, your nurse in service and your elderly. Staying calm and relaxed and taking time to connect and know each other will release stress-free hormones which will reduce stress and aid to a good mood and speedy recovery. As one’s environment is also an important factor while creating that bond between your caregiver/nursing caretaker and your elderly.

Once that bond is made between your elderly and your caregiver, it will make them at ease and create a relationship of trust, empathy, and transparency.

Basic Duties And Responsibilities Of Home Nurse

When we think of a home nurse, the first thought that probably comes to mind is elderly care or caring for senior citizens. While this is the most common requirement, a home nurse can be helpful in many other cases too. Think about a high-risk pregnancy where the mother is completely bed-bound for several months. Maybe a young person has suffered a severe injury or accident and needs care and rehabilitation. Post-surgery care is quite common too, whether young or old. A home nurse can be helpful wherever there is a medical condition that needs special care, right from newborns to senior citizens.

So what does a home nurse really do? Think about all the things a patient needs in the hospital. Administration of injections and medication, charting of various parameters, reporting to the attending doctor, assistance with toileting and so much more.

A home nurse is qualified to do all that and more in the comfort of one’s home, but let’s take a closer look.

Care plan

With healthcare at home, your home nurse can create an individualized plan of care based on his or her evaluation of the patient’s health, advice from the attending physician and the patient’s lifestyle. This care plan will be tailor-made to suit the patient and help them live up to their best potential.

Medication

Having a nurse at home means you will have assistance with monitoring and giving out medications, administration of injections or IVs, assistance with pain management and changing or draining of catheter or urine bag where necessary.

Wound management

With healthcare at home, the patient’s wounds (where applicable) can be cleaned and dressed at home itself.

Symptom watch

With certain conditions, family members may not be aware of certain symptoms, but a certified nurse at home will be alert and monitor all existing and new symptoms and vital signs. They will maintain a chart to see the patient’s progress.

Monitoring

Patient health will be closely monitored and the care plan will be updated accordingly.

Guidance

Your home nurse will be able to instruct both the patient and the family on proper home care guidelines. This will help you be aware of dos, don’ts and not to worry’s!

Safety

Due to their extensive training, they may be able to provide suggestions to improve safety at home as well as facilities to enhance their mobility such as handlebars and anti-skid mats in the bathrooms, organization of furniture to accommodate a walker or wheelchair and so on.

Coordination

A nurse at home will constantly be in communication with the patient’s physicians, dietician or other health advisors.

Support

Lastly, your nurse will be able to extend encouragement and support to the patient themselves as they grapple with their condition. This is important for the overall mental wellness of the patient.

The great thing about one on one care is that a patient is able to benefit from the same quality of qualification and experience as institutionalised care, but with a personal touch and individual attention. It’s no wonder home healthcare is growing today.

How Winters Affect the Elderly

Winter is just around the corner. In many places, temperatures have already begun to drop, warm jackets are coming out and, the days get longer and darker. While winter may be an enjoyable and exciting time for some, there is a category of people who may struggle more than others with the cold.

Surprisingly, winters can have a negative impact on the overall health of the elderly or senior citizens. It is important to keep a watchful eye on them, have the contact number of the best physiotherapist around and even sign up for home healthcare in some cases to ensure their safety.

So how does the winter impact their health:

Increases risk of hypothermia

Hypothermia occurs when the body becomes so cold it starts to shut down. In cases where there is extremely cold weather, the risk of hypothermia goes up exponentially. This happens because their bodies cannot withstand the cold as long as younger people. Elderly people naturally create less body heat, which means they are often colder than younger individuals to start with. Watch out for slowed reactions and movements, sleepiness, slurred or slow speech and confusion.

Cardiac troubles

Patients with existing underlying heart conditions are at greater risk for cardiovascular troubles during winters. The cooler temperatures lower the overall body heat. This can cause the blood vessels to contract, reducing oxygen supply to the body, increasing the risk of a stroke. The extra work that the body has to put in to stay warm can also lead to higher blood pressure and heart attacks. If you have a senior citizen at home who has pre-existing cardiovascular conditions, having a nurse at home may be a good idea.

Respiratory illness

The drop in temperature commonly leads to respiratory infections in older people. The main reason for this is that excessive cold lowers their immunity and weakens lung function. Asthma patients and patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD) need to maintain special care during winters.

Increased pain

Another side effect of the cold is that muscle and existing pains tend to worsen in the cold weather. This can be especially difficult for those suffering from arthritis and other conditions as it may hinder their mobility significantly. Look out for the best physiotherapist to help you out through this as it can impact their movement significantly.

These realities may sound scary and a little bit daunting, but a few simple steps will help keep your loved ones safe and cosy.

Here’s what you can do:

Ensure they wear lots of layers.
Use heaters indoors.
Get regular check-ups.
Keep a very close eye on them and pay attention to anything that may seem a little off.
Hire help – Look around for a nurse at home from the SSSPS home healthcare provider to lend a hand.

Having a helping hand can put your mind at ease and your beloved ones safe and cared for at all times!