Congestive heart failure, or CHF, is an ailment that can create a lot of difficulty for your senior. As it progresses, CHF can become debilitating. If your elderly family member has CHF or is at risk for developing it, there is a lot that you need to know in order to help her to have the best quality of life possible.
Congestive heart failure occurs when your senior’s heart isn’t able to pump blood throughout the body as efficiently as it needs to. Because of that, oxygen is also not moving through your senior’s body as it should. There are other systems in the body that become affected, like the kidneys. Fluid quickly builds up in the extremities, and that can make CHF worse.
So many different factors can lead to CHF. Some are directly related to the cardiovascular system while others affect other systems in the body first. Just a few of the conditions that can cause CHF include:
If your elderly family member already has any of these conditions, her doctor has likely talked to her about her risk of developing congestive heart failure.
Even if your elderly family member is at higher risk of developing congestive heart failure, there may be some things that she can do that can help to slow down that possibility. Keeping tabs on her blood pressure, cholesterol, and weight can help her to keep up with her overall health. Eating foods that support her heart and her cardiovascular system can also help. If she’s a smoker, cutting back is good, but quitting is better.
If your elderly family member does have CHF, then having elderly care providers there to help can do a lot for her. People with CHF often have trouble keeping up with high activity levels due to fatigue. Elderly care providers can assist with tasks that are more difficult now and that allows your senior to rest when she needs to without feeling guilty. Elderly care providers can also help with meals, personal care tasks, and more.
Congestive heart failure is a condition that your elderly family member needs to manage consistently in order to slow its progression. Work with her doctor to put a plan together that she’s able to follow.
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