Heart Health for Seniors Living with Diabetes
Skilled nursing helps seniors with diabetes manage heart health.
For seniors with diabetes, controlling heart health is crucial, especially since it’s thought that people with diabetes are twice as likely to experience a heart attack or stroke as those without the condition. Not only that, but diabetes considerably raises the chance of acquiring heart disease. Thankfully, skilled nursing can work with seniors who have diabetes, helping them do all they can to maintain their heart health.
Recognizing the Connection Between Heart Health and Diabetes
Diabetes and heart disease are strongly associated because of the impact that elevated blood sugar has on the cardiovascular system. Essentially, elevated blood glucose levels have the potential to harm heart-controlling neurons and blood vessels over time. This damage can lead to atherosclerosis, a disorder that narrows and hardens the arteries and raises the risk of heart attacks, strokes, and other cardiovascular problems.
Additionally, diabetes frequently coexists with other heart disease risk factors, including obesity, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. With this in mind, it’s easy to see why it’s vital for seniors with diabetes to concentrate on preserving their heart health with a mix of dietary adjustments, medication administration, and routine checkups.
Skilled nursing can offer the support and encouragement seniors need to ensure they’re doing all they can to maintain their health.
How Skilled Nursing Helps
Beyond encouragement and support, skilled nursing can also create an individualized treatment program that addresses heart health and diabetes control. This plan is customized to meet the unique needs of the senior in question, taking into account their personal preferences, medical history, and present state of health. Keeping an eye on blood sugar levels and blood pressure, along with taking steps to control cholesterol, are just a few of the areas of a senior’s health that benefit from this approach.
Other ways that skilled nursing assists seniors in addressing their diabetic and heart health needs are listed below:
Medication Management
Skilled nursing can also assist with medication management, making sure that all prescriptions—for blood pressure, cholesterol, or diabetes—are taken accurately and on time. In addition, they can watch for possible interactions or adverse effects. This is crucial for seniors with diabetes who are also at risk for heart disease.
Maintaining a Healthy Diet
Seniors wishing to control their diabetes and heart health must follow a heart-healthy diet. Skilled nursing can help with this by creating an individualized meal program that takes into account the needs of both medical conditions.
In order to control blood sugar levels, this may include keeping an eye on the amount of carbohydrates consumed and emphasizing heart-healthy foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean meats, and healthy fats.
Encourage Physical Activity
Maintaining an active lifestyle is important for managing diabetes and heart health. Walking and swimming are two examples of low-impact workouts that can help control blood sugar, maintain a healthy weight, and enhance cardiovascular health. Additionally, skilled nursing can offer advice on how to maintain an active lifestyle without going overboard.
Mental and Emotional Assistance
For seniors, managing several chronic diseases can be rather demanding. In addition to offering physical support, skilled nursing also offers emotional and psychological support. This support helps seniors better manage the stress and worry that frequently come with this situation.
Maintaining heart health in seniors with diabetes is a complex issue that calls for a strong support system, including skilled nursing, loved ones, and their medical team.
If you or an aging loved one are considering Skilled Nursing in Lake Forest, IL, contact the caring staff at Companion Services of America today at (847) 948-0860. Our home care service area includes Northbrook, Highland Park, Deerfield, Glenview, Buffalo Grove, Evanston, Des Plaines, Skokie, Lake Forest, Wilmette, and the surrounding areas.
Sources:
- https://diabetes.org/health-wellness/diabetes-and-your-heart
- https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/diabetes/prevention–treatment-of-diabetes/living-healthy-with-diabetes
- https://www.everydayhealth.com/hs/managing-diabetes-heart-health/ways-to-manage-both-diabetes-and-heart-health/
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