Aging is a natural process, and the body reacts accordingly. For instance, an elderly person’s arteries typically harden, become narrower, and are likely to clog with fatty materials as he or she grows older, putting the individual at higher risk for medical problems, including strokes. However, there are steps your aging parent can take to lower the risk of a stroke in the senior years.
Exercise Regularly
High blood pressure typically leads to health issues like stroke, which is why exercise is essential. Staying physically active can also reduce other stroke factors, such as depression, diabetes, and high cholesterol. Even simple activities, such as taking the stairs instead of the elevator, walking to local businesses instead of driving, and engaging in work, from household cleaning to laundry and meal preparation, could lead to healthier blood pressure levels and lower the odds of obesity, which can prevent a stroke.
Although regular exercise is essential to your loved one’s health, seniors should avoid overworking their bodies. Putting too much pressure on the bones could prevent your loved one from moving around freely and lead to sprained or broken legs or arms. Therefore, your parent should take on exercise routines based on his or her physical and mental capabilities and increase them per the doctor’s recommendations.
If your loved one needs help with exercising safely, consider hiring a professional caregiver. Annapolis respite care professionals can assist seniors with a wide array of daily tasks, offering family caregivers the chance to focus on other personal responsibilities or take a break to prevent burnout. Whether it’s for a few hours a day or a few days a week, respite care is the perfect solution for family caregivers who are feeling overwhelmed.
Eat Healthy Foods
Consuming foods and beverages high in saturated fat, sugar, and sodium can increase the odds of strokes in older adults. This includes processed meats, canned foods, pork, frozen meals, alcoholic beverages, caffeinated coffees and teas, sweets, fried foods, and smoked meats. The sodium, fats, and nitrites in these foods can harden and narrow arteries. However, eating healthy seafood options, vegan meat alternatives, chicken, turkey, low-sugar yogurt, fruits, beans, and green vegetables can prevent blood clots and blocked arteries and prevent a stroke.
Not every senior has the same care needs, which means they don’t all need the same type of senior home care. You can rely on Assisting Hands Home Care to provide an individualized care plan to meet your elderly loved one’s unique care needs. Our caregivers help seniors focus on healthy lifestyle habits, such as eating nutritious foods, exercising regularly, and maintaining strong social ties, and we offer mentally stimulating activities that can boost cognitive health and delay the onset of dementia.
Manage Stress
When the heart works overtime and blood pressure levels increase, this could boost the odds of a stroke. Therefore, you need to help your loved one avoid these risks, and stress management is an excellent start. Lowering stress levels can decrease the risk of blood clots forming and traveling to the brain or heart. As a result, your parent can prevent a stroke, heart attack, and other serious medical problems.
Some of the ways older adults can manage stress are by getting enough sleep, staying physically active, and meditating. Your loved one should also consider joining senior groups to engage with other adults and take advantage of painting, singing, dancing, group sports, social interaction, and more.
Don’t Smoke
Smoking tobacco products is one of the top causes of stroke in older adults. The habit can decrease oxygen in the blood and increase the odds of high blood pressure, which is a major cause of strokes. You can help your loved one take up hobbies that keep him or her active and healthy, such as arts and crafts, swimming, and journaling. Your parent can also help out with grandchildren by babysitting or attending school-related activities that keep his or her mind focused on anything other than smoking.
Seniors can reduce their risk of strokes by making some important lifestyle changes. Maintaining a high quality of life can be challenging for some seniors, but professional caregivers can help them attain this goal. Families can trust home care Annapolis experts to help their elderly loved ones focus on lifestyle choices that increase the chances of living longer and healthier lives. Call Assisting Hands Home Care at (667) 226-9360 to learn more about our flexible and customizable senior care plans.
