There’s no one right answer about the length of time it takes for your senior to recover from any type of heart episode. What matters most is her health before the health scare, her risk factors, and how quickly she’s able to make some big changes. With your help and the help of caregivers, your elderly family member may be able to shorten her recovery time a bit.
What Type of Heart Episode Did She Experience?
There are all sorts of heart ailments that can befall seniors. Your elderly family member could experience anything from a full-blown heart attack to an atrial fibrillation episode or a clogged artery. All of these issues require her to pay attention to what her body is telling her about what is happening with her heart health. Ignoring the warning she’s receiving can lead to further heart issues that may be far worse.
Risk Factors and Complications
It’s vital to understand your senior’s risk factors for heart disease, heart attack, and other heart issues. Talk with her doctor about what your elderly family member might be facing in terms of heart issues and find ways to help her avoid those situations. Adhering to her doctor’s orders as closely as possible is going to help her to have a better recovery.
Side Effects While Recovering
There can be some side effects from her heart episode that prove troubling to your elderly family member as she recovers. Shortness of breath, fatigue, and chest pain can all cause her to worry that she’s having another heart episode or even a worse one. Knowing from her doctor what to expect while she recovers can help her to know what constitutes an emergency and what is part of her healing process. It can also help to have in-home care providers there with her.
Lifestyle Changes May Be Necessary
One of the best ways to improve her heart health is for your elderly family member to make some necessary lifestyle changes. These are often changes that your senior may have refused to make in the past, but now she may feel as if she’s got less of a choice. It’s easier for her to make these changes with some help so that she doesn’t feel all alone.
Your Senior May Need Extra Help
Speaking of help, your elderly family member may be much more tired than usual and find it difficult to manage her life as it once was. Senior care professionals can take over some of those tasks for your senior, allowing her to rest and to heal. In-home care providers can help your senior to keep her home clean and tidy, ensure that she’s eating healthy meals regularly, and remind her to follow her doctor’s care plan to the letter.
It's scary to feel as if her heart might be failing her, so there might be a lot of feelings involved for your senior as well. She may find that it helps to keep a journal or to work with a talk therapist about her emotions.
If you or a loved one are looking for experienced In-Home Care in Arlington, VA, contact SenCura at 703-880-2547. Providing in-home senior care in Northern Virginia.