Heart-healthy Habits You and Your Loved One Need!

Heart disease is the leading cause of death across the world, according to the World Health Organization. And it impacts both men and women. That’s why our team at Qualicare would like to share some suggestions on how to keep your heart health—and that of your loved one—in good shape.

Is Your Loved One’s Heart Health at Risk?

Sometimes the first sign that something is wrong with your heart is a heart attack. When one occurs, prompt treatment is necessary to limit the amount of damage to the heart muscle.

Therefore, it’s important to know the warning signs of heart attack and to seek immediate medical care if these symptoms occur.

Heart attack symptoms include:

• Difficulty catching breath
• Feeling faint or lightheaded
• Indigestion
• Irregular heartbeat
• Nausea or vomiting
• Pain or pressure in chest
• Sharp pain in neck, back or between the shoulder blades
• Sweating for no reason
• Weakness

If you or a loved one experience any of these symptoms, seek immediate medical attention. Call for emergency transportation to the nearest hospital.

Keeping Heart Health in Tip-top Shape

While some risk factors for heart disease, like age, gender and family history, can’t be changed, others can. There are steps you can take to lower the risk of heart disease and conditions like heart attack and stroke.

Lifestyle changes can have a big impact. Let’s take a look at a few heart-healthy habits.

First things first—it’s vitally important to be physically active. Regular exercise plays a key role in helping maintain a healthy weight and a healthy heart.

Experts recommend getting at least 150 minutes of moderate physical activity each week. That may seem overwhelming, until you consider that it’s just over 20 minutes each day.

And exercise doesn’t have to be tedious or hard. In fact, choosing activities that are enjoyable will help ensure you and your loved stick with exercising regularly.

Not sure what types of exercise your loved one can do? Talk with a doctor to see what his or her health will allow, then check out these exercise ideas for seniors. It’s a good idea to include a full range of exercises in a senior’s routine, including aerobic (heart-pumping) activity as well as strength training and balance exercises.

Second, you want to eat a heart-healthy, balanced diet. Fill up your plates with plenty of fruits and vegetables, lean proteins (like chicken or fish), whole grains, and small amounts of healthy fat, such as those found in olive oil or nuts. The Mediterranean diet has been shown as particularly effective in promoting heart health, so you may want to incorporate some of its principles into your diet.

Third, make sure you and your loved one see a physician regularly. Even if you feel well, a wellness checkup can help your doctor gauge overall health and blood tests can reveal where you stand in terms of blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar.

Even if your loved one isn’t in need of full-time care quite yet, our in-home care providers can still assist with daily tasks to help make things easier on both you and your loved one. Visit the Qualicare websitetoday to learn more!