How Could Your Senior Be Accidentally Making Heart Failure Worse?

Heart failure is a very serious illness and it can lead to declining health very quickly. Your elderly family member may find that after she’s diagnosed with heart failure it’s more important than ever that she takes her health seriously. Unfortunately, there are simple ways that she could accidentally worsen her heart failure.

She’s Getting Sick More Often

Your senior needs to avoid germs if she’s dealing with heart failure, which means being really careful around other people. She also need to practice excellent hygiene herself, with regular hand washing and cleaning surfaces regularly. That can be a lot to keep up with, though, so it might be a good idea to have elder care providers available to help her. If your elderly family member does get sick, contact her doctor right away to make sure you handle her symptoms properly.

Her Salt Intake Is Up

Salt and heart issues are usually incompatible, but that goes double for heart failure. If your elderly family member is eating too much salt, or even just more salt than she usually does, it might be causing her body to hold onto more fluid than it should. That makes her entire circulatory system, but especially her heart, work way too heart to move all that fluid. Cutting back on the salt is crucial, so that means reading labels, even on foods your senior trusts.

She’s Drinking Too Much Water

Believe it or not, your senior could be drinking a little too much water and that can cause problems for people with heart failure. Flushing out too many of the electrolytes and minerals your senior does need can be an issue, and it can cause her blood pressure to fluctuate, too. Talk to your senior’s doctor about what her target is for water intake and set up a plan to help her to aim for that amount every day.

She’s Not Taking Medications as Prescribed

One of the biggest issues with any medication is that it helps people to feel better and then they start to feel as if they don’t need that medication anymore. This can be disastrous for someone with heart failure. Even if your elderly family member is just forgetting to take a dose now and then, she could experience big problems from that. Find a way to help her to stay on target with her medications.

Always talk with your senior’s doctor when you’re not sure what’s going on with her heart health.

If you or an aging loved one is considering elder care in Groveland, FL, please contact the caring staff at Golden Heart Senior Care of Clermont today. 1-888-423-4046.