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Symptoms of a Heart Attack and Stroke in Women
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Signs and Symptoms of Heart Attack
If you have any of these signs, call 9-1-1 and get to a hospital right away.
- Uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain in the center of your chest. It lasts more than a few minutes or goes away and comes back.
- Pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach.
- Shortness of breath with or without chest discomfort.
- Other signs such as breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea or lightheadedness.
- As with men, women’s most common heart attack symptom is chest pain or discomfort. But women are somewhat more likely than men to experience some of the other common symptoms, particularly shortness of breath, nausea/vomiting and back or jaw pain.
Signs and Symptoms of Stroke
If you have any of these signs, call 9-1-1 and get to a hospital right away.
- Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body
- Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding
- Sudden trouble seeing or blurred vision in one or both eyes
- Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
- Sudden severe headache with no known cause
If you had heart disease, would you recognize the symptoms? You might be thinking, “Of course!” Many people are familiar with the scene of a man clutching his chest and falling to the ground, but there’s plenty more you need to know.
While there are many similarities in the symptoms of heart disease in men and women, there are even more differences – differences that could save, or end your life if you don’t know them. So before you pass that jaw pain off as the result of sleeping funny or light headedness as something a snack or rest can fix, learn the symptoms. And don’t ignore them.
If you had heart disease, would you recognize the symptoms?
Alzheimer’s Disease
From United Home Health
According to the Alzheimer’s Association, more than 5 million Americans are currently living with Alzheimer’s Disease. If you have found yourself in a caregiving role for your aging loved one who has some type of dementia, you are not alone. It is estimated that more than 15 million Americans provide some type of unpaid adult care for seniors living with dementia. However, Alzheimer’s care can be overwhelming, difficult, and even unhealthy for family caregivers.
If you are caring for your loved one, whether nearby or from far away, you should begin by focusing on a few key points. Here is what you need to know to keep you, and your senior loved one, as healthy as possible.
Safety First
Senior care for older adults living with dementia begins with safety. Due to the confusion, memory loss, and decreased judgment that are hallmarks of progressive cognitive decline, safety can quickly become a serious issue. Transportation, medication management, falls, and household safety can cause major health consequences for seniors living alone or with partners. Fortunately, you can keep your loved one safe and thriving at home with a few action steps.
Assure that you have plans in place for your loved one to get to their favorite shops or church services by arranging reliable transportation through experienced home healthcare services. Arrange for home health support with medication management and for fall risk assessments of the home.
Nutrition Next
Older adults living with dementia can find complex tasks, such as meal planning and preparation, insurmountable. However, without proper nutrition, these at risk seniors can quickly become ill, malnourished, and weak. If you live nearby, you can help by taking your loved one grocery shopping once per week or dropping off premade meals for your loved one to pull out during meal times. In many cases, family caregivers find that finding consistent, and memory care experienced, home health aides can be the best-case scenario.
Home health caregivers can provide nutritional support to seniors living with dementia. In addition to grocery shopping and meal preparation, caregivers also offer reminders and cues to eat at regular times of the day. They get seniors involved with the meal preparation as well, which offers a sensory stimulation activity that can simultaneously calm and engage the senior.
Socialization Always
Recent studies have shown that perceived loneliness in seniors causes catastrophic mental and physical health problems ranging from increased depression to increased cognitive decline. Even if your loved one is at home with a partner, both seniors still need regular socialization to stay healthy. Stop by for regular visits, where you do an activity together instead of watching television. If you are far away, consider regular visits from a home health aide.
Home health aides can be the friendly and loving face for your aging loved one. Not only can these experienced caregivers offer consistency and assistance with daily tasks, they also offer a chance to reminisce, share a story, or take a walk around the neighborhood together. These socialization activities are crucial to any senior, but especially those living with memory issues.
Are you curious how home health services could benefit your loved one? Give the team at United Home Health a call today; we would be honored to partner with you to provide the best care for your loved one.