Risk Factors of Heart Disease

The risk of your loved one developing heart disease is based on how many risk factors he has and how serious they are. The more he has, the more his risk of developing heart disease increases. 

Heart disease occurs when the heart cannot get the blood and oxygen it needs to function well. One of the biggest

Senior Care Sauk Centre, MN: Heart Disease

contributors to the heart not receiving the blood it needs is plaque build-up in the walls of the arteries surrounding the heart. When plaque builds up, the arteries become narrow and reduce the amount of oxygen-rich blood that can travel to the heart. 

While some of the risk factors that increase the chance of developing heart disease cannot be changed, others can be reduced or slowed down with lifestyle changes. 

Here are the top risk factors for developing heart disease. 

Age, Race, and Sex

While none of these can be changed, it’s important to understand that they increase risk of your aging loved one developing heart disease. 

Occupation (past or present) and Environment. 

Many people may not think of either of these factors influencing the risk of developing heart disease, but they do. Air pollution can increase the risk of coronary heart disease. If your loved one lives in an area where air pollution is a problem, and has other risk factors, he might want to consider hiring someone like a senior home care provider to help with outdoor chores or run errands when the air pollution rates are high. He can then stay inside and not compound his other risk factors. 

Where and how your loved one worked can also increase his risk for heart disease. A job that had a high amount of toxins in the air could increase his risk. Also, any profession that was high stress or had your loved one sitting for the majority of his day could also increase his risk of developing heart disease in his later years. 

Lifestyle Habits

The good news is most lifestyle habits can be changed and changes made even after decades of poor health decisions can make a positive impact. The top four areas your loved one should look at working to improve are: 

• Getting good sleep. Waking up at night increases the stress on the heart. Before going to bed, have your loved one practice a good routine for a great night’s sleep. 
• Getting more active. Being active will help your loved one avoid other health complications that may lead to heart disease. Having him start easy with a 15-minute walk around the block with his senior home care provider is a great beginning to working up to 30 minutes of aerobic exercise a day. 
• Being less stressed. Stress causes arteries to tighten. Help your loved one learn some calming techniques or consider hiring a senior home care provider to assist with household tasks that stress your loved one. 
• Eat better. Cutting back on saturated fats and refined carbohydrates can lead to better heart health.

Other medical conditions

There are some medical conditions that may increase the risk of developing coronary heart disease such as:

• Atherosclerosis
• Coronary artery defects that a person is born with
• High blood LDL cholesterol
• High blood pressure
• High blood triglycerides
• Chronic kidney disease
• Diabetes

Heart disease can be prevented in most people by focusing on changing the lifestyle habits that increase the risk for them. 

If you or an aging loved-one are considering Senior Care in Sauk Centre, MN please contact the caring staff at Alternative Senior Care today. Providing Home Care in Central Minnesota and Surrounding Communities. Call us Today (320) 352-3350