Many seniors experience elevated blood pressure, or hypertension, which can lead to strokes and heart attacks. As one in three Americans have hypertension, it’s important to help your elderly loved one take steps to reduce his or her blood pressure. Read on to learn about four steps you can take to help your loved one reduce high blood pressure.
1. Shed Excess Weight
One of the best ways to reduce high blood pressure is to lose weight. Help your loved one trim his or her waistline by implementing a regular exercise routine and healthy diet. Try removing sugary foods and snacks from the home and offering to take walks with your loved one.
Since losing just 10 pounds has been proven to reduce blood pressure, this strategy is one of the most effective ways to help your loved one. Men are advised to maintain a waist measurement of less than 40 inches, and women should maintain a waist size of less than 35 inches.
Some aging adults need help preparing nutritious meals, exercising, and making healthy lifestyle choices. Seniors who want to remain healthy as they age can benefit in a variety of ways when they receive professional in-home care. Home Care Assistance is here to help your loved one accomplish daily tasks, prevent illness, and focus on living a healthier and more fulfilling life.
2. Consume More Potassium
Encourage your loved one to consume at least 2,000 to 4,000 mg of potassium a day to lower his or her blood pressure and keep it at a normal level. Certain foods, including kidney beans, peas, potatoes, bananas, and oranges, have high levels of potassium and other nutrients that can help your loved one lower his or her blood pressure. For a potassium-fueled breakfast, serve your loved one potassium-enriched cereal with slices of banana and reduced-fat milk.
3. Take a Supplement
Have your loved one incorporate dietary supplements into his or her daily routine. Taking a supplement with antioxidants like coenzyme Q10 can reduce blood pressure. While your loved one should never begin a vitamin or supplement regimen without the guidance of his or her physician, you may consider seeking advice from a medical professional to learn about whether supplements are a good choice for your loved one.
Seniors who need assistance handling high blood pressure and other health conditions can benefit from professional in-home care. Living with serious health conditions can make it challenging for seniors to age in place. However, they can maintain a higher quality of life with the help of professional live-in care. Fair Oaks seniors can benefit from assistance with meal prep, bathing, transportation to the doctor’s office, medication reminders, and much more.
4. Listen to Music
Listening to classical or soothing music for an average of 30 minutes a day may control breathing and reduce hypertension. As most seniors love music and can listen to it throughout the day, this is an easy habit to adopt. Plus, as listening to music can reduce the systolic blood pressure reading by more than three points after just a week, incorporating music into your loved one’s daily routine is worth the effort.
For seniors who find it challenging to lower their blood pressure on their own, at-home caregivers can provide the reinforcement and direction they need to make lasting lifestyle changes. Not every senior has the same care needs, which means they don’t all need the same type of homecare. Fair Oaks families can rely on Home Care Assistance to provide individualized care plans to meet their elderly loved ones’ unique care needs. Our holistic Balanced Care Method was designed to help seniors focus on healthy lifestyle habits such as eating nutritious foods, exercising regularly, and maintaining strong social ties, and our Cognitive Therapeutics Method offers mentally stimulating activities that can stave off cognitive decline and delay the onset of dementia. For more information about our flexible, customizable home care plans, call one of our compassionate Care Managers today at (916) 485-4663.