High cholesterol is something that so many aging adults face every year. If your senior isn’t already dealing with high cholesterol, she may still be able to prevent it. These ideas can do a lot to make lower cholesterol levels much more possible for your senior. What matters most is that she’s willing to try some of these steps and see if they work for her before she gives up on them.

Talk to a Doctor

Does your elderly family member already know her risk factors for high cholesterol? If she doesn’t know what they are, now is the time for her to talk with her doctor about what’s happening. High cholesterol isn’t something that she’s likely to feel or have symptoms for, so her doctor is going to run blood tests and look at other factors to help her understand what she’s facing. From there, her doctor may have other recommendations.

Help Her to Get More Active

Physical activity is a great way to prevent high cholesterol. Being more active helps to strengthen and protect your senior’s heart and entire circulatory system, which directly impacts her risks for high cholesterol. Talk with her doctor about exercise before your senior starts moving more, just to make sure it’s a good idea for her.

Consider Some Dietary Changes

If your elderly family member’s diet tends more toward processed foods and unhealthy choices, she might want to rethink that. It’s not always an easy set of choices, though. That’s even more accurate if your aging family member finds it difficult to cook or has a tough time with other activities related to cooking. Home care assistance can make a big difference in managing dietary changes.

Avoid Smoking

What does smoking have to do with cholesterol levels? More than you would think. People who smoke are at a huge risk of lots of health issues but smoking definitely damages the circulatory system. That includes causing trouble for her body and for her cholesterol levels. Quitting is always the best choice, but it isn’t necessarily easy. Her doctor may be able to help your senior kick smoking for good.

Line up Help from Home Care Assistance

Some of these changes are really a lot bigger than they seem. Looking at a list is easy but implementing these ideas can take some work. That’s where senior care professionals can really make life easier for your elderly family member. Home care assistance can keep your elderly family member on track and remind her about what she needs to do and why. Caregivers can also offer hands-on assistance when your senior needs it most.

Keeping up with her cholesterol levels is important, too. Your elderly family member’s doctor may want your senior to have some regular blood tests done to see how the changes she’s making are helping her to keep her numbers in the right ranges. If she’s doing all the right things and not getting results, medication may be the next step.

If you or an aging loved-one is considering home care assistance in Bethesda, MD, please contact the caring staff at Care At Home today. 301-970-9706

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Ann Smith RN

Owner at Care at Home

Ann Smith, RN, Realtor® Your local Home care and Home transition expert Ann is a Registered Nurse and a Realtor with a passion and dedication to serving her community. She has over twenty years of nursing experience in pediatric, geriatric, home health care, and care management. She founded Care at Home, a home care company, to provide seniors with services that promote independence and safe aging in place. Ann is dedicated to helping seniors achieve stress-free retirement living by providing comprehensive services from health to home. Ann's mother instilled in her the value of hard work, dedication, and service to others at a young age, which is now a driving force in her home care agency. Her caring and compassionate work with seniors began when she was just 17 years old. She was offered a job as a caregiver. Just as quickly, she instinctively knew that this would be her life's work. She soon became a nurse and has since helped many older adults transition seamlessly into a new phase of life. While helping seniors and individuals with their home care needs, it became apparent that part of the transition process often involved selling their current home for more suitable living arrangements. That's when Ann decided to add real estate services to alleviate stress and enhance her client's experience. It's also how she became known as the Home Transition Agent. Today, Ann helps her mature clients achieve stress-free retirement living by providing in-home care and comprehensive services from health to home. Ann's love for children and dedication to helping families caring for children with chronic health conditions inspired Pediatric Care at Home, a division of Care at Home that provides pediatric nursing care. Ann and her team are dedicated to providing compassionate care to all, from infants to older adults. When Ann isn't busy helping her patients and clients, she volunteers her time at women's shelters and fostering dogs. She and her veteran husband enjoy a simple life in the countryside, where farm animals and country life surround them. Ann also enjoys reading, photography, gardening, and nature walk with their dogs.

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