6 Guidelines for Caring for a Parent Living with Heart Failure

Seniors with heart failure need special care that helps them manage their condition and enjoy the best possible quality of life. As a caregiver, you’ll notice some days are easier than others, but it’s possible to handle all your senior loved one’s needs when you know what to do. These tips can help you care for an older parent who has heart failure while also keeping both of you emotionally and physically well.

1. Learn about Your Loved One’s Medical Condition

Many different types of cardiovascular disease lead to heart failure, and learning more about your loved one’s condition can help you plan for his or her care. For example, you should know heart failure often causes the body to retain fluid. Your loved one may also experience congestion in the lungs. Being prepared to respond to these types of situations can give you more confidence as a caregiver.

2. Create an Organized Medication Regimen

People with heart failure tend to have complicated medication schedules. Your loved one might not be able to handle this independently, especially if he or she also lives with issues such as confusion or memory loss. You can work with your loved one and other caregivers to develop a medication management plan that works for everyone. Many caregivers use journals or electronic logs to track when seniors have taken their medication.

3. Try to Adopt Healthy Lifestyle Changes Together

Seniors with heart failure often need to watch their diet and do safe exercises. Quitting smoking is another lifestyle change your loved one may need to make. Doing these things together can help your parent stay motivated to maintain his or her health, and you’ll benefit from having more energy to carry out your duties. If your aging loved one needs help managing everyday tasks or encouragement to adopt healthier lifestyle choices, turn to Home Care Assistance, a leading provider of senior home care. Irving Home Care Assistance provides professional in-home caregivers around the clock to help seniors live longer, happier, and healthier lives.

4. Learn How to Prepare Heart-Healthy Meals

Many people lack experience with planning a heart-healthy diet. Your loved one’s physician might recommend serving more leafy greens and limiting salt. However, you might have no idea how to make healthy meals appetizing. Working with a professional caregiver can help you learn how to prepare meals your loved one will enjoy without having to worry about getting too much fat or salt in the diet. Home care agencies can be a great boon to seniors. With the help of the caregivers at Home Care Assistance, your aging loved one can lead a happier and healthier life. We offer a revolutionary program called the Balanced Care Method, which encourages seniors to eat nutritious foods, exercise and socialize regularly, and focus on other lifestyle factors that increase life expectancy.

5. Plan to Monitor the Symptoms Every Day

Your loved one’s condition could change rapidly. It’s common for seniors with heart failure to feel wonderful one day and awful the next. This is why you’ll need to perform daily health checks that include weighing your loved one to monitor for fluid retention and asking general questions about how he or she feels. This is another area where you may need to keep a journal to compare notes from one day to the next.

6. Allow for Extra Periods of Rest

Restricted blood flow to the body could quickly leave your loved one out of breath or exhausted by everyday activities. Make sure to leave extra time in the day for your loved one to take breaks between activities he or she finds strenuous. You’ll also want to plan to take a few breaks yourself. Having a home caregiver visit throughout the week can help you practice self-care without having to leave your loved one alone. Families who find it difficult to care for their aging loved ones without assistance can benefit greatly from professional respite care. Irving, TX, family caregivers who need a break from their caregiving duties can turn to Home Care Assistance. Using our proprietary Balanced Care Method, our respite caregivers can encourage your loved one to eat well, exercise regularly, get plenty of mental and social stimulation, and focus on other lifestyle factors that promote longevity. If you need professional home care for your loved one, Home Care Assistance is just a phone call away. Reach out to one of our Care Managers today at (817) 591-1580.