September is National Atrial Fibrillation Awareness Month, so it’s the perfect time to talk with your senior about what AFib is and what the symptoms can be. If your elderly family member has been experiencing heart palpitations, fatigue, dizziness, and shortness of breath, she may want to talk with her doctor about whether she might be experiencing AFib.
What Is AFib?
Atrial fibrillation, or AFib, is a change to the heart’s normal rhythm. That change causes an irregular heartbeat that comes and goes. AFib can be difficult for medical professionals to notice, because it can happen at odd times, yet the heart rate the rest of the time seems perfectly normal. AFib does increase the risk of heart failure, stroke, and other cardiovascular conditions, which is why it is such a serious health issue.
Get to Know Your Senior’s AFib Risk Factors
Certain factors increase your senior’s risk factors for AFib. The older she gets, for instance, the higher her risk is for developing AFib. If she already has heart disease, high blood pressure, or other health issues, she may be at greater risk of AFib. Having a family history of AFib is another big risk factor. Some of these issues are ones that your senior can do something about, but others cannot really be addressed.
Help Your Senior Get to Checkups and Follow Care Plans
It’s vital that your elderly family member gets to her checkups with her medical providers if she’s diagnosed with AFib. Your senior’s medical providers will put together a comprehensive care plan that should help her to manage her health effectively. Sticking with that plan is going to give your senior the best chance at keeping her AFib under control.
Encourage Her to Make Lifestyle Changes
Part of your elderly family member’s care plan is likely going to involve making some lifestyle changes. These might be changes she’s been avoiding over the years, like quitting smoking or cutting back on alcohol. Other changes, like starting an exercise routine recommended by her doctor and eating healthier, are going to help her to improve her health in general. It’s not easy to make these types of changes, however, and in-home care providers can help. Home care providers can help your senior to stick with a daily schedule that ensures she’s getting everything that she needs.
Find Ways to Reduce and to Manage Stress
Another big issue for people with any chronic health condition, including AFib, is reducing stress. Stress contributes to health issues in a big way and it’s something that your elderly family member really can manage with some help. In-home care providers can help your elderly family member to feel more secure just by being there with her. Knowing that she isn’t alone can help you to feel more secure, too.
Dealing with the ups and downs of AFib is so much easier once your elderly family member knows exactly what is going on and what she can do to manage it easily. Having the help that she needs to do so every day makes a world of difference.