Why Might Your Parent Be Struggling with High Cholesterol?

Home Health Care in Southampton NY: Is Your Senior Struggling With High Cholesterol?

Approximately 71 million adults throughout the United States, or 33 percent of the total population of adults in the country, suffers from high cholesterol.  Of these, only 30 percent actually have this condition under control.  If you are a family caregiver for an elderly adult who is dealing with this health challenge, you might be wondering not just what it means for their future health and what you can do to help them to cope with it effectively and protect themselves from the potentially devastating health consequences that can occur as a result of it, but also how it could have happened in the first place. Understanding why your senior might be struggling with high cholesterol can help you to identify if there are meaningful changes that you can make to help them control their cholesterol, but can also be valuable information that you can use to later protect your own health and the health of your future generations.

What can you do?

If you are a family caregiver for an elderly adult who is dealing with this health challenge, you might be wondering not just what it means for their future health and what you can do to help them to cope with it effectively and protect themselves from the potentially devastating health consequences that can occur as a result of it, but also how it could have happened in the first place.

Understanding why your senior might be struggling with high cholesterol can help you to identify if there are meaningful changes that you can make to help them control their cholesterol, but can also be valuable information that you can use to later protect your own health and the health of your future generations.

Is it Hereditary?

For some people, hereditary elements are to blame for the excess cholesterol in their body.  This condition, known as familial hypercholesterolemia, refers to inheriting genes from parents or even grandparents that can cause the body to produce excessive cholesterol.  This is beyond the control of the person suffering from it but should be addressed to help keep your parent’s risk of heart disease and other consequences under control.

In most situations, however, high cholesterol comes from unhealthy lifestyle choices. These choices include:

• Eating a diet that is high in dietary cholesterol, trans fats, and saturated fats

• Not getting enough dietary fiber

• Not getting enough physical activity

• Smoking

• Living with or spending a considerable amount of time with someone who smokes

• Being overweight or obese

If you have been looking for ways to help your parent achieve and maintain a higher quality of life throughout their later years, or feel that your caregiver efforts are not fulfilling their care needs in the way that they deserve, now may be the ideal time for you to consider starting senior care for them.  A senior home care services provider can be there with your elderly parent on a fully customized schedule that ensures that they will get all of the care, support, and assistance that they need, while also keeping you at the forefront of their care.  In your role as their family caregiver, this can give you confidence that any care gaps that exist in the efforts that you give them will be filled effectively and that your parent will be able to stay happy, healthy, active, and engaged as they age in place.

If you or an aging loved one are considering hiring professional  home health care in Southampton, NY, call the caring staff at Artful Home Care today at 631-685-5001.

Sources:
http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/Cholesterol/Cholesterol_UCM_001089_SubHomePage.jsp
https://www.cdc.gov/dhdsp/data_statistics/fact_sheets/fs_cholesterol.htm