If your parent has recently been told he suffers from Atrial Fibrillation (otherwise known as afib), you might be wondering how that will affect his day-to-day life. As his caregiver, it’s an important to be aware of any health conditions your parent may have (and then communicate those with his elder care provider), so you can help him thrive even while living with a health condition.
When a person has atrial fibrillation, or afib, their heartbeat is uneven or irregular (unlike a normal heartbeat with is steady and consistent). Your parent’s heart may race quickly for short periods of time. It could change the strength of its beating by beating quickly, then normally and then slowly.
The irregular heartbeats of afib are caused by an electrical problem in the heart’s top chambers.
An estimated 2.3 million to 6.1 million people have afib in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and of those, about 10% are over age 65 so your parent is not alone in this battle.
Because having afib can raise your parent’s chance of heart failure, you’ll want to follow his doctor’s advice for any medical interventions he may request. But you can also help your parent out at home by encouraging daily activity that will improve his cardiovascular health. Here are some simply activities (with approval from your parent’s physician), you can either join your parent in doing, help him get set up to do, or have your elder care provider do alongside him.
Try some of these activities to help your parent reach his goal of 30 minutes of activity a day:
• Clean the house.
Even cleaning house by vacuuming, sweeping or dusting can be a form of exercise. Have your parent put on his favorite music to make it more enjoyable and upbeat.
• Garden or mow the lawn.
Any yard type of work will provide some needed activity. If mowing is too much work, hire a local kid to do it or utilize your elder care provider for this task. Perhaps your parent can still do tasks like pulling weeds from elevated gardens or maintaining the bird feeders.
• Take the stairs instead of the elevator.
When out shopping with your parent or visiting a doctor’s office, see if there are stairs he can take instead of the elevator when it’s only a few flights. Make sure stairs have a good handrail before attempting to use them so you won’t need to worry about your parent losing his balance.
• Park farther away from his destination than necessary.
When you or your elder care provider brings your parent to the store or pharmacy, why not park a little farther away than normal so that you can walk a bit further and get some activity while running errands.
• Go for a walk after dinner.
If your parent can find a friend or neighbor to walk with, this will not only provide the physical activity he needs, but give him good social connection as well. Even during social distancing, walking outside, keeping a safe distance apart is a fairly safe activity.
• Exercise at home while watching TV—move your legs, or march in place.
If moving and being active is new to your parent or if they have physical restrictions, helping him find activities he can do without too much effort is still better than nothing.
If you or an aging loved one is considering elder care in Park City, MT, please contact the caring staff at SYNERGY HomeCare Billings today at 406-839-2390.
