How to Take Care of Patients With Heart Conditions
- 1). Encourage your patient to rest. In the first few days upon returning from the hospital, a patient must rest in order to allow his heart to heal. Rest includes getting enough sleep, but it also includes avoiding chores, child care and other physically exhausting activities. As a caregiver, you can encourage sleep and help out with these activities.
- 2). Encourage your patient to follow the doctor's orders. A patient with a heart condition probably is taking several different medications. Make sure that your patient takes the required medication every day. Moreover, it is important to make sure that your patient sees the doctor for regular checkups. According to the Mayo Clinic, regular checkups can help the doctor decide if your patient needs to change her treatment, and might help catch new problems early.
- 3). Help your patient avoid future heart problems. There are several risk factors for future heart problems. As a caregiver, you can help the patient to avoid those risk factors, which include smoking, high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol level, physical inactivity and alcohol.
- 4). Avoid being overprotective. Your role as a caregiver is to help your patient become independent again. Many patients prefer not to think too much about their heart condition, opting instead to try and return to having a normal life.
- 5). Take care of yourself. Being a caregiver can be physically and mentally draining. The British Heart Foundation recommends several things you can do to keep yourself in optimal shape to care for someone else, including: not letting your patient's illness take center stage all the time, finding time to do things just for you, accepting help from other people, and finding support from other caregivers. To find a support group, contact your local American Heart Association at the link provided below.
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