Approximately twenty-five percent of heart disease patients need hospital readmission within thirty days. It can be due to a stroke or heart attack. The most effective way to prevent these complications is to make sure your loved one takes medication as prescribed and follows exercise and diet instructions. However, it can be difficult when your loved one has mobility challenges or lives alone. As a result, you might want to consider home care services. Offering services in Los Angeles, the friendly caregivers in Mom's Home Care can help your sick parents deal with everyday care for heart disease symptoms without giving up their independence.

Is Home Care Right for You?

If you have a loved one suffering from heart disease and you're struggling to keep with their needs, home care could be the solution. The service could be set up quickly and offer assurance and peace of mind to the patient.

There are numerous benefits for heart health patients who receive living-in care, including:

  • Safety: The chronic condition can cause your loved one to lose their memory or put them at risk of falling, among other safety issues. Hiring a caregiver assures you that your loved one has the support they require to stay safe.
  • Lower caregiver burnout: Although you love your loved one, you do not have to do this alone. Allow a qualified caregiver to be your ears and eyes and lower the risk of personal and family stress.
  • Entertainment and activities: Most heart conditions patients have challenges engaging in things they enjoy without additional assistance. The caregiver could help your sick parent live a life they love by facilitating activity time and assisting with special interests and hobbies.
  • Offer independence: Your sick parent could feel complete by living in their home longer. Also, couples should not be separated for care. They will feel safe in their home's comfort even though they cannot perform tasks like running errands, personal care, transportation, and light housekeeping. 

Medication Management

The reason people take medication is to boost the quality of life. However, if you are unwell or taking numerous medications, recalling to take the right medication at the right time might be challenging. If the medication is not taken correctly, the quality of life declines. That is where medication management comes in. Well, there is a lot more to medication management.

Gather all Supplements, Over-the-Counter Medications, Medications, and Vitamins in One Place

If your drugs are stored in different places, you can quickly lose track of your supplements, vitamins, and prescribed medication. Your caregiver will also include over-the-counter medicines because they can still result in reactions, especially when taken together with prescribed medication.

The caregiver can keep your pill bottle and package in transparent storage bins. That way, all things stay together, increasing medication safely.

Moreover, your medication will be stored in a cool and dry place, following the doctor's instructions.

Draft and Maintain a Medications List

To stop negative drug interaction, the caregiver will know what you are taking. That is why an updated list of medications comes in. Any experienced living-in caregiver will write down:

  • Names of all drugs
  • How often every drug is taken and the dosage
  • The medical practitioner who prescribed every medication

Ensure All Medication Instructions are Clear

It is paramount to follow your doctor's instructions; it reduces the possibility of side effects and drug interactions. Bear in mind that your caregiver should ensure they understand what drugs are safe to take simultaneously and what should be spaced out. For instance, while some drugs should be taken on an empty stomach, others require a full stomach. And if they are uncertain, the home caregiver should not be hesitant to ask for your doctor's instructions and explanations.

Setting Up Medication Reminders

With very many heart condition medications, it might be hard for you to recall when to take every dose. Any experienced caregiver in Los Angeles will use medication reminder systems and tracking logs to help ascertain that you have taken the right drugs at the correct time. They can create a chart that contains medication name, dose, time of the day, and day. And as you take every dose, they will record with an X or a checkmark.

Moreover, they can use a medication management application or alarms.

Plan Early for Your Refills

Your caregiver will ensure you get a refill early with heart disease medication so you do not miss or run out of doses.

Offering Your Ailing Parent Emotional Support

Anxiety and depression are common in heart disease patients. Feeling unwell, uncertain about the future, and not able to do things that they loved can result in sorrow. Any experienced caregiver will look for the following symptoms of depression and notify you and the doctor:

  • Changes in appetite
  • Loss of interest in life
  • Restlessness
  • Frequent crying episodes
  • Suicidal thoughts
  • Increased agitation

Although depression is a severe problem that needs treatment and evaluation, the caregiver can assist manage your parent's moods with the following:

  • Help them stay connected and active by engaging in things they love.
  • Encourage them to stay upbeat and positive rather than focusing on unrealistic expectations. For instance, the caregiver could say, "If we walk together daily, you might realize that it gets easier."
  • Allow your loved one to talk about their concerns and fears.
  • Assist your loved one structure their day around activities that bring them a sense of purpose and pleasure.

Offer Companionship

Offering companionship services creates a better quality of life. With the friendly assistance and support from your skilled caregiver, you will have independence in your home. The caregiver will develop hobbies, games, and pastimes that keep you stimulated, engaged, and interactive. When you require a person to ponder your personal stories or previous life experiences, the caregiver will be available to offer a listening ear.

Examples of professional companionship services include:

  • Playing cards and games
  • Reading
  • Engaging in crafts
  • Gardening
  • Discussing historical and current events

Encourage Them to Exercise

Exercise is one of the essential things you can do for your heart health. It helps you live longer and lower the risk of succumbing to heart disease by fifty percent.  Other benefits of exercise include:

  • Reduction of stress and improving mood
  • Reduce the risk of falls
  • Reduce depression
  • Improve your heart health
  • Boost sleep
  • Reduce constipation

However, after you have been diagnosed with the condition, you might feel uncertain and scared. Where do you begin? How much is physical activity safe and healthy?

Any competent living-in caregiver should find exercises that are fun and safe for their client's ability level. It can be:

  • Walking around the yard or house for any amount of time- you can combine your walk with an errand like going to the grocery store or walking with your dog.
  • Sit to stand exercises
  • Sitting unsupported for a few minutes daily
  • Stretching while lying in bed
  • Engaging in simple household chores such as light vacuuming, dusting, and folding laundry
  • Dancing
  • Water exercise

Since every patient's health, cognitive abilities, and personality are different, it might take some time and experimenting to know what type and amount of exercise works best for you. Remember to start slow and build up gradually.

Light Housekeeping

Keeping your home clean makes the house inviting. It also contributes to a comfortable and healthy living environment, and people are happier when their homes are neat and organized.

We offer numerous light housekeeping services like:

  • Household cleaning: We will maintain a regular household cleaning schedule by assisting with duties like watering plants sweeping, organizing closets, mopping, vacuuming, and dusting.
  • Bathroom cleaning: Cleaning your bathroom stops the spread of viruses, bacteria, among other pathogens. Moreover, it makes sure you can use sinks, toilets, and shower safely, free from spills and clutter, causing falls. Bathroom cleaning services include cleaning your toilet, freshening towels, floor mopping, wiping vanity, and scrubbing sinks and tubs.
  • Bedroom cleaning: A neat and clean bedroom improves the quality of your sleep. A living-in caregiver can help you iron your clothes, change beddings, fold clothes, wash your laundry, arrange closets, and make your bed.
  • Kitchen cleaning: Most heart disease patients have challenges keeping up with everyday kitchen chores. Hence, they might fail to clean dishes and food spoils, which can cause the spread of germs. Light housekeeping can include kitchen tasks like doing dishes, putting away your groceries, emptying garbage, and throwing away stale foods.
  • Pet care: Taking care of your pet while feeling unwell can be demanding and frustrating. Your caregiver can feed your pet, take the animal to a groomer or veterinarian, and walk the animal.

Offer Transportation Services

While getting from one point to another can be challenging for heart disease patients, that should not be the reason to stop running errands or remaining indoors. As part of home care services, the caregivers will take you to:

  • Outpatient facilities and hospital
  • Pharmacy to pick up your prescription
  • Grocery shopping
  • Visit your loved ones
  • Religious, entertainment, and social events
  • Therapy or doctor's appointment

The caregiver could transport you either in their motor vehicle or in yours. They should also help you to the car and be with you throughout the trip, ensuring your health and safety are prioritized. 

Fall Prevention Care

Heart conditions are one of the risk factors that increases your vulnerability to falls. A fall can be severe and might result in reduced quality of life, broken bones, or premature death. The fear of falling should not stop you from living a full and independent life.

Your experienced and compassionate caregivers should know about the current fall risk prevention and assessment techniques. They should:

  • Take time to address all trips and fall hazards in the home.
  • Act as an escort during shopping trips, social engagements, and your doctor's trips
  • Assist you safely perform daily tasks

Should you fall, the caregiver will help and send for necessary medical help.

Meal Preparation Assistance

Eating nutritious food and meal preparation is an essential part of living well, mainly for heart disease patients. Healthy food, on a consistent and regular schedule, is also crucial for physical and emotional health.

Meal preparation assistance involves:

Planning Meals

While planning one meal is demanding, preparing your weekly meals might seem impossible. Nonetheless, doing so is essential to eating a balanced diet, which offers the strength you require.

The caregiver could also:

  • Take food inventories and create a shopping list,
  • Work with you to draft a familiar and healthy shopping list, and
  • Assist in following your nutritionist's recommendations.

Shopping for Groceries

Meal preparation assistance also involves getting what you require. Your caregiver will accompany you to the grocery store, shop for you, and bring in the groceries. If you cannot make it to the grocery store, they will do the shopping on your behalf.

Prepare and Cook Food

Cooking food can be difficult if you are feeling unwell. Your experienced caregiver can prepare meals for you or supervise and offer help when needed. You could request them to make you for your favorite or familiar dishes.

Offer Companionship

Due to your health condition, you might lose appetite. A compassionate caregiver should encourage you to eat.

Clean Up

Your caregiver will clean dishes after meals.

Offer Personal Care

Personal care involves services where the caregiver helps you realize everyday activities. It includes services like bathing, dressing, shaving, hair shampooing, hair combing, and toileting. When you maintain the personal care routines,

  • You look and feel your best,
  • Avoid unpleasant odors,
  • Have improved self-esteem and
  • Avoid skin infections.

Receiving Heart Disease Care Near Me

As a heart disease patient, you have to endure coping with numerous health difficulties like getting enough exercise, eating right, and remembering how and when to take your medication. The issues can even be more challenging if you are elderly and live alone. A heart disease care plan in the comfortable and secure surroundings of your house can improve your recovery. At Mom's Home Care, we are dedicated to ensuring our clients’ lives with respect and dignity. For many years, our customized in-home care and compassionate caregivers have helped thousands of patients in Los Angeles remain independent, secure, and safe at home. Allow us to treat you as family. Contact us today at 323-244-4789 to discuss the exceptional services our caregivers can offer you.