National High Blood Pressure Education Month urges that everyone takes time to learn about what blood pressure is and why it matters to you, your senior, and their home health care provider. Has your mom had her blood pressure checked lately?
High blood pressure is the most common chronic health condition with 47% of the adult population diagnosed with hypertension. Just over 29% of adults with high blood pressure need medication to manage it.
Blood pressure is the measurement of the force of the blood in the veins when the heart is beating and in between beats. The pressure during a heartbeat is systolic pressure. Between heartbeats is called diastolic pressure.
What Is a Healthy Blood Pressure?
Normal blood pressure is defined as having a systolic pressure of less than 120 and a diastolic pressure of less than 80. Your mom’s doctor would tell her that her pressure is something like 118 over 70. That’s a great blood pressure reading.
When the blood pressure is 120 to 129 over 80 or less, it’s elevated. This can be due to stress, caffeine, or other issues. It’s not necessarily related to high blood pressure. Her doctor may want to check her blood pressure more often, however.
Hypertension, or high blood pressure, falls into two ranges.
130 to 139 over 80 to 89 is Stage 1
140 or greater over 90 or greater is Stage 2
When your mom has high blood pressure, she needs medical attention. She may be told to change her diet, lose weight, or start exercising more. She might need to take medications.
How Can Home Health Care Help?
When your mom has high blood pressure, you should talk to her doctor about home health care services. Nurses can come to your mom’s home and help with several aspects of her care plan.
With home health care, your mom has a nurse stopping by on a regular schedule to check her blood pressure. She could purchase a blood pressure cuff and do this on her own, but a nurse can communicate with her doctor and keep her from having to return to the hospital or medical office if her blood pressure remains elevated.
If your mom needs to try different medications or becomes dehydrated while taking diuretics, her nurse and doctor team up to determine the next steps. Her nurse can administer medications that are needed via IV. If your mom needs an injection, her nurse can do that.
Your mom’s diet needs to change. She can work with a nutrition expert to learn how to prepare meals and snacks that meet her dietary needs. Your family can learn at the same time, which makes it easy for family caregivers to step in and make sure she’s eating properly.
Talk to the family about the things your mom needs to do to take care of herself. Make plans to have family members help out as much as possible. For the medical care needs that you can’t take care of, speak with a specialist in-home health care to schedule services.
If you or someone you know needs Home Health Care in St. Cloud, MN, contact Adara Home Health Care. We provide quality and affordable home care services for many fragile or senior members in the communities we serve.
Call us at (888) 660-5772 for more information
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