Inwood MagCaring for Someone with Heart Disease
If a close friend or family member has been diagnosed with heart disease, you may wish to offer your support and help care for them. If you lack experience or knowledge about heart disease, there are a few basic things you need to learn in order to be of the most help to your loved one.
First, you need to educate yourself on common heart disease symptoms. Being aware of the symptoms will help you to know if your loved one’s condition is worsening, or if treatments and lifestyle changes are helping. Some common symptoms are pain in the chest, upper back, shoulders and neck region, shortness of breath, and fatigue. One way to monitor these symptoms is to ask the patient to rate their pain or discomfort on a scale of 1 to 10. Keep track of their answers and you may see a trend in their health improving or declining.
Another very helpful thing you can do is go to doctor visits with your friend or family member. This provides moral support in a time that can be frightening for them, and you can also talk to their doctor and learn other ways you can help. If your loved one is fatigued or feels ill it would also be nice to have someone drive them to their appointments.
If the patient has been ordered to get exercise, going for a walk with them on a regular basis is a great way to offer support. Having an exercise buddy will be motivating for them, and having someone to talk to will be a nice distraction from worrying about their health. Along the same lines, helping to prepare healthy meals is another way to support your loved one. It is often easier to eat healthy foods when you have a friend to talk to while enjoying meals.
If medication has been prescribed, you could help the patient remember his or her regular dosage schedule. For older people, in particular, forgetfulness can be a problem with taking medication on a regular basis. You could purchase a pill organizer and stock it once a week, or set a daily alarm to remind your loved one to take their medication.
Whatever you chose to do, simply knowing someone cares can be very important to a patient with heart disease. This will provide them with the motivation to keep up with their lifestyle changes, take their medications, and maintain a positive attitude toward their treatment.
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