Listen to your heart
The symptoms can be terrifying: sweating profusely, intense chest pain, shortness of breath, nausea, lightheadedness, anxiety or feeling of impending doom. The strike is often quick and, in many cases, permanent.
Cardiovascular diseases, including stroke, are the nation’s number-one killer, according to the American Heart Association. These diseases affect the heart and blood vessels, and are caused by plaque building up in the walls of arteries. In honor of American Heart Month, Visiting Nurses of Aroostook hopes to arm the local community with information on how to best care for someone with cardiovascular disease.
Caring for an ill loved one requires tremendous amounts of physical, mental, emotional and spiritual energy. Because of this, caregivers should be mindful of the effects these factors have on themselves and their loved ones and compensate accordingly.
A lot of attention is often paid to reducing stress in a heart disease patient; however it is often overlooked that a caregiver’s stress can cause his or her own blood pressure to rise. To keep a caregiver’s stress levels and blood pressure under control, it is important to keep a positive attitude and accept that some events are beyond one’s control. Caregivers should not be afraid to set limits appropriately and say ‘no’ to requests that would cause excessive stress.
Because clinical depression is not uncommon while recovering from a heart attack, heart surgery or a stroke, the American Heart Association notes that keeping some special considerations in mind will help when communicating with a loved one. Caregivers should take the time to simply listen to what their loved one is feeling, and be sure to express how they feel in return. When speaking, it’s important to try to use “I” statements rather than “you” statements, such as “I feel frustrated,” rather than “You make me feel frustrated.”
If a loved one has suffered from a stroke, caregivers should remember that it may be difficult for him/her to speak clearly due to effects from the stroke, and should be patient with whatever form of communication works, even if it is simply making hand gestures. One should never “talk down” to a loved one and speak more slowly, rather than more loudly, if there is a communication issue. Ample time to adjust should be allowed; however, if emotions become too much to handle, the caregiver should seek help from a professional.
Just as communication with a loved one with heart disease must be supportive, caregivers should also be supportive in making necessary lifestyle changes to prevent a reoccurrence or complication. Caregivers can encourage their loved one to avoid tobacco, be more active and choose good nutrition.
If someone is experiencing any of the warning signs of a heart attack or stroke, 911 should be called immediately. With a stroke, time lost is brain lost and extra time without treatment after a heart attack may make a life or death difference.
Dealing with the effects of cardiovascular disease in a loved one can be less stressful with the right resources and support. For more information, please click on our Care for the Heart banner on our home page at www.visitingnursesofaroostook.org.
We’re celebrating 40 years of service to our Aroostook County neighbors and friends! Last year, VNA’s caring staff drove 714,089 miles to provide 37,178 visits to 1,264 patients and their families. Although home care and hospice services are paid for by public and private sources, or directly by patients and their families, tax-exempt donations from individuals, businesses and towns help cover the costs of care provided to the uninsured or underinsured.
A part of the Eastern Maine HomeCare Family, and a member of EMHS, Visiting Nurses of Aroostook works to ensure the highest quality home care and hospice is available to all who need it in the nearly 80 towns they serve. For more information about its home care and hospice services, please visit them at www.visitingnursesofaroostook.org or call 498-2578.
