Heart-Healthy Living at Home: Caregiver Edition

As a caregiver you help the person you care for maintain their health and age at home. You are in an ideal position to help them lower the risk of heart disease by practicing heart-healthy habits at home. According to the National Institutes of Health, people aged 65 and older are much more likely than younger people to develop heart-related problems. This article will help prepare you for this task by answering the following questions:

• What is heart health?
• How does heart health change with age?
• What are warning signs for heart disease?
• What can a caregiver do to help the person in their care stay heart healthy?

Heart Health Basics

To understand heart health, it helps to understand the function of the heart. The main engine of the circulatory or cardiovascular system, your heart is a strong muscle about the size of a fist that pumps blood throughout the body. Your circulatory system has three basic functions:

• Moving blood throughout your body
• Bringing oxygen and nutrients to your organs, muscles and tissues
• Removing waste products like carbon dioxide

Your heart is responsible for all three of these functions. The right side of the heart pumps blood to the lungs to pick up oxygen while the left side receives oxygen-rich blood from the lungs and pumps it through arteries throughout the body. Meanwhile, an electrical system in the heart controls the heart rate or pulse and coordinates its contractions. 

Aging’s effects on heart health

As people age, natural changes in the heart and blood vessels can raise the risk of heart disease and other related health conditions. Heart disease is a leading cause of disability in older adults, often reducing physical activity and diminishing overall quality of life.

With aging, the heart becomes less efficient at increasing its rate during exercise or stressful situations. However, the resting heart rate — the number of beats per minute while at rest — typically remains stable with normal aging. The following changes, as outlined by the NIH, may affect heart health as someone ages

Irregular Rhythm

They may feel a fluttering in the chest or a hard or extra beat. Though occasional extra or skipped heartbeats may occur more often with increased age, they are not necessarily dangerous. However, feeling these symptoms too frequently may indicate a heart rhythm abnormality (arrhythmia), so check with tier provider if these symptoms persist..

Size Increase

As someone ages, the chambers of the heart can sometimes get larger due to thickening of the heart wall, which actually decreases the amount of blood the chambers can hold. (Imagine two coffee mugs that are the same size on the outside, but one has much thicker walls. The thicker mug would hold less.) Increased thickness of the heart wall can increase the risk of atrial fibrillation, a common heart rhythm problem in older people that can in turn increase the risk of a stroke.

Valve issues

The valves that regulate blood flow between the heart’s chambers can become thicker and less flexible with age. When this happens, the valves may not open or close properly, which can either restrict blood flow or allow it to leak backward. These issues can lead to fluid buildup in the lungs, legs, feet, or abdomen

Warning signs for Heart Disease

Sometimes people in the early stages of heart disease don’t even have noticeable symptoms. Or they may only feel early symptoms when stressed or during strenuous activity. That’s why regular checkups with a doctor are a must!

But some signs are red flags for an impending heart attack, so make sure the person in your care receives immediate medical attention if you notice the sudden onset of any of these symptoms:

• Crushing chest pain or pressure in the center or left side of the chest
• Pain, numbness, and/or tingling in the shoulders, arms, neck, jaw, or back
• Shortness of breath when active, at rest, or while lying flat
• Fainting, lightheadedness, or sudden dizziness
• Anxiety or rapid or irregular heartbeat
• Cold sweats
• Nausea, vomiting, or stomach upset
• Tiredness, weakness or fatigue

While chest pain is the symptom most closely associated with heart issues, the symptoms of a heart attack can be different in men and women. Women are more likely than men to experience shortness of breath; tiredness; weakness; upset stomach; anxiety; and pain in the shoulder, back, or arm.

Caregiver Tips to Support Heart Health

Caregivers can be incredible heart-health coaches, and the basics are achievable at home. Follow these tips to help engrain heart healthy habits and prevent heart disease later in life, or at any age.

Keep track

Start by tracking what matters: periodic blood pressure checks, weight changes, and any swelling in ankles or shortness of breath. Keep notes in a small log and bring it to appointments; patterns guide better decisions than single readings.

Promote Good Nutrition

On the plate, think “add and swap.” Add vegetables to dinner, swap salty processed snacks for nuts or fruit, and choose water more often than sugary drinks. Cooking doesn’t have to be fancy—sheet-pan veggies and chicken, bean soups, and oatmeal with berries are budget-friendly and heart-smart. Get a sense of appropriate serving sizes to maintain health.

Watch Their Weight

According to the American Heart Association, people need fewer calories as they get older. Since excess weight causes the heart to work harder and increases the risk for heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol, help the person in your care maintain a healthy weight through regular exercise and good nutrition.

Keep Them Moving

Speaking of exercise, keeping the person in your care active wil help encourage heart health in a variety of ways. So find techniques to integrate movement into their daily routine. Move the body gently after meals. A 5–10 minute walk can help with blood sugar and blood pressure. On cold or rainy days, try marching in place, climbing stairs once or twice, or following a short chair-exercise video. Consistency beats intensity. If there is an activity or hobby they enjoy that involves movement, encourage them to participate, maybe even by doing it together!

No butts about it

If they smoke, help them quit. Smoking is the leading cause of preventable death, explains the NIH. “Smoking adds to the damage to artery walls that occurs in heart disease. Quitting smoking, even in later life, can improve your health and lower your risk of heart disease, stroke, and cancer.”

Stress Less

Help the person in your care to manage their stress, relax, and cope with problems to improve physical and emotional health. According to the AHA, “[l]ong-term stress causes an increase in heart rate and blood pressure that may damage the artery walls.” So learning stress-management techniques benefits both their heart health and their quality of life. From videos of gentle yoga to podcasts on meditation, there are lots of resources to help.

Rest Assured

Sleep is heart care, too. Getting enough good-quality sleep is another way to help reduce the risk of heart disease. Encourage regular bedtimes and a dark, quiet room. As we get older, our sleep patterns begin to change, making it more difficult to fall asleep or stay asleep. Loud snoring, gasping, or daytime sleepiness may signal sleep apnea — worth discussing with a clinician since treatment can improve energy, mood, and cardiovascular health.

Celebrate the Small Stuff

Improving heart health doesn’t always need to include drastic changes. Take time to acknowledge even incremental wins. “We walked three days this week,” “We cooked at home twice,” “BP was steady.” Small victories build momentum, and momentum protects the heart.

Are you caring for an aging relative or loved one at home? Mass Care Link provides the training and support you need. Find out how to qualify.