The Risk of a Stroke and How the Work as a Caregiver Can Make a Difference
The first time Ellen agreed to be a caregiver, she was taking care of her for her aging grandmother. At that time, her grandmother had suffered from a serious stroke and was bedridden, for the most part. During that period of her life, Ellen was working her way through school and trying to figure out what she wanted to do in life.
What she found was that she enjoyed helping elderly individuals in need. That’s why she became a professional in home care provider. Through the work that she did, she developed a number of ways to help elderly patients, regardless of their physical limitations, health problems, or risk factors.
She also focused a lot of her energy on figuring out how to help these elderly individuals reduce their risk of a stroke. She found a few helpful tips along the way that became extremely beneficial when she actually became an in home care provider for her own mother.
The first thing she learned was that eating a proper diet low in cholesterol and fatty foods was important at helping to reduce the risk of stroke. Even for elderly individuals who had developed a long habit of eating things that are unhealthy, changing their diet could have a dramatic impact on helping to reduce the risk of stroke, heart attack, and other serious health emergencies.
She gathered a long list of healthy recipes that she was able to suggest to the patient in her care. Some patients did not like any of her suggestions while most of them were keen to try a sampling of several different recipes.
Encouraging the patients to get exercise was the second thing she learned could be extremely beneficial at reducing the risk of stroke. Many of the elderly patients she worked with just assumed they should take it easy and not be too active.
She always referred them to their personal doctors before taking on any exercise regimen, but in almost every single case they learned they should be getting at least some amount of exercise on a regular basis.
Her mother wasn’t the type of person who used to exercise regularly, but going for a fairly brisk walk on a daily basis ended up being extremely beneficial.
Finally, even though her mother wasn’t a smoker, she worked with numerous patients who were and she sat down to talk to each of them about the risks that go up with regard to their health and smoking. She knew where to draw the line, though. She was their caregiver, not somebody to control their life. She could only offer the information she had and hope they could do what was best for them to reduce any potential risk of stroke, heart attack, or other serious medical situation.
The caregivers at Home Care Matters are available to talk with you and your family about all of your elder care needs. Home Care Matters is a home care agency providing quality and affordable caregivers near Braselton, GA and the surrounding areas. Call (678) 828-2195 for more information.
Valerie has the unique experience with home care as she has experienced it from both ends of the spectrum, as a caregiver and as needing care herself as a cancer survivor. Valerie says, “Taking care of someone you love is a physically, mentally and demanding labor of love.Taking care of my mom was the hardest thing I have ever done. It has given me an insight and perspective not many people understand unless you are doing it or have done it.I loved taking care of my mom.I love helping others take care of their love ones too.And now that I’ve been sick, it’s given me a whole new level of empathy and understanding for those who are sick and need help.”
Valerie’s schedule varies daily, but she loves visiting with our clients, families, caregivers, our network partners and being in the office.Says Valerie, “Every day is different, but I wake up excited about what we do, inspired by our team, clients and caregivers.I strive to be a resource to the community.I love my team and I love what we do every day. I like to think my mom would be proud.”
You can reach Valerie by email (Valerie@homecarematters.com) or in our office (770.965.4004).
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