No matter your age, you should understand what blood pressure is. This is what happens inside your body, and it’s the term used to describe the force of blood pushing against arteries. Why is it important for seniors to keep an eye on? Seniors must understand and monitor blood pressure because it will give them insight into their health. It may help a doctor understand who is at risk for strokes or heart disease. Senior can have many devices at home which will allow them to monitor blood pressure. If they need help keeping track of certain conditions, elder care can help keep track of things like blood pressure in charts. If you have been looking for ways to control blood pressure, here are some of the best ways to do so.
Focus On Minimizing Salt
Minimizing salt can be one of the best ways to ensure your senior’s blood pressure is healthy. Sodium is usually included in canned or frozen foods to help preserve them. Many seniors who hate cooking automatically reach for pre-made foods. However, they should limit the amount of pre-made foods they eat and opt for fresh foods. If they need help minimizing salt and eating more fresh foods, this is something that elder care can help with. They can help your seniors read all ingredients and understand labels on foods, grocery shops, or take them places to get fresh foods like the farmers market. They may even help your loved one cook using less salt. Experiment with other seasonings to flavor foods.
Minimize Stress
Long-term or chronic stress is not good for the body. It not only impacts your loved one’s mental health, but it can impact their physical health too. When your senior feels too much stress, it elevates their cortisol levels which may make them react poorly to situations and increase their blood levels to unhealthy amounts. If your senior is feeling stressed, it’s time to find ways to minimize it. You can encourage them to take five minutes every morning to breathe and meditate or take a half an hour in the morning to write in their journals. This will help them evaluate their emotions and eliminate any negative feelings.
Exercise and Maintain Weight
Another thing you can do is start exercising to reduce weight and maintain stress levels. This doesn’t mean your loved one has to go running each morning, but a simple routine of morning yoga or something else easy on the joints can reduce stress and blood pressure and increase natural happy chemicals in their bodies. It’s essential to make exercise a focus in your loved one’s daily routine. Extra weight means your body has to work extra hard to move the blood around your body, which means high blood pressure. Even losing a few pounds can help your loved one feel better.
Talk To Your Doctor
A senior should be talking to a doctor throughout their entire life. A doctor will help your seniors by checking their blood pressure and making recommendations for their lifestyle to manage their blood pressure. However, if it is not something a lifestyle change can fix, a doctor may prescribe medication to help manage their blood pressure.
If you or an aging loved one is considering elder care in Denton, TX, please contact the caring staff at Clear Path Home Care today. Call 817-928-5788
Clear Path Home Care provides compassionate, high quality home care in Denton County, Montague County, Cooke County, Grayson County, Fannin County, Lamar County, Wise County, Collin County, Hunt County, Delta County, and Hopkins County in Texas.
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