If someone in your family has suffered a stroke before or if your loved ones have entered their senior years, they are more likely to have a stroke. You might be unable to control your family history or stop time for your loved ones, but the risk of stroke affecting your loved ones can be reduced and the effects alleviated.
Consequences of a Stroke
If your loved one has a stroke, it would cause them to have difficulties with walking, holding things, or being unable to move their arms. Your loved one might also have weakness on one side of their body or even paralysis. This in turn would cause them to become dependent on others to help them with their everyday activities. Your loved ones would also be more likely to trip or fall too, causing mobility issues. Physically, after a stroke, your loved one might feel easily fatigued. Moreover, if your loved one has a stroke, they may be unable to communicate well with others.
Medical Solutions to Alleviate Risk of Stroke
However, such a debilitating condition can be avoided if you take some precautions. If your family member has a medical condition that is increasing their risk of stroke, like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes, make sure they take their prescribed medication. Ensure that they are fully assured of the side effects of the medicines they take by ensuring their worries are answered by their doctor or pharmacist. Make sure that your loved ones attend their regular check-up sessions with their doctor. This is because as your family members enter their golden years, their arteries are more likely to become blocked, increasing the risk of them getting a stroke.
Lifestyle Solutions to Reduce Risk of Stroke
Moreover, lifestyle habits like smoking and regularly drinking alcohol can also raise your loved one’s risk of stroke. If your loved ones regularly indulge in alcohol, gently persuade them to reduce their intake. Moreover, if your family member has always been a smoker, persuade them to stop smoking. This is because smoking increases the risk of stroke in your loved ones. Encourage your loved ones to use nicotine patches and pills to aid them to quit their smoking habit. You can also supplement it with counselling sessions or medicine to help them kick their smoking habit.
If your loved one’s weight is at the unhealthy end, encourage them to exercise more. This is because being overweight can increase one’s risk of stroke, especially since an increase in weight can increase the risk of chronic health conditions, namely high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes that increases one’s risk of getting a stroke. Moreover, also ensure that your loved ones are engaging in a healthy lifestyle. This includes exercising regularly and eating healthily. This would help reduce their risk of getting a stroke as doing both would help reduce their risk of chronic diseases that would increase their risk of a stroke.
With these tips, your loved one’s stroke risk does not need to be inevitable. Instead, your loved one’s stroke risk can be alleviated, and you can ensure a lively senior life for your loved ones.
