The world stands susceptible to the rise of the COVID-19 infection. It didn’t take long for the virus to gain attention globally. Since WHO announcing COVID-19 a pandemic, all countries have taken solid measures to curb the spread. Social distancing, practicing and preaching measures like washing hands, wearing masks, and disinfecting surroundings has been the prime approach to reduce the spread. Then, came the next step that many countries took were of locking down the cities to control community spread.
While the measure has been an aid in controlling the spread, the lockdown has led a specific group of the society vulnerable to the hardship of the consequences. The elderly group of people is at a two-way risk of being more susceptible to the viral attack of COVID-19 along with the ongoing health issues they are suffering from especially heart-related ailments.
What we have learned till now about COVID-19?
The disease is caused by the newly discovered strain of the coronavirus family. The outbreak started in Wuhan a city in China. The disease causes severe respiratory illness along with pneumonia-like symptoms and can be fatal. While researchers are still making progress in knowledge about the disease, the things that have come to light is that elderly people are more at risk of complications related to COVID-19 and those who have any underlying health condition saw the maximum number of deaths. Among those the condition that was associated with most of the deaths were cardiovascular diseases. For people who are already a heart patient and into their 60’s need to make sure they know how to stay safe.
5 tips to make lockdown easier for elderly
For the elderly living with a family, the lockdown can bring them the joy of spending more time with their loved ones. For those who stay alone, the condition can be slightly tough, in such a case being prepared is important. Even for family members it’s important to know how they can make sure the heart health of the elderly in the family can be taken care of while the lockdown continues.
-
Planning is the key
Make a proper plan to keep risk as low as possible. Stay home and avoid unnecessary visits outside. While at home maintain hygiene and follow the practice of washing hands and cleaning area frequently coming in contact. During such conditions going to the market often can be a problem for elders who are staying alone so try to source things from nearby areas and keep inventory for extra days as well.
-
Know the symptoms and warning signs
It’s essential to know the ways to prevent the infection but it is equally important to know what the signs and symptoms are to look out for to get immediate medical help.
The symptoms that mostly can point towards COVID-19 are fever, cough, and shortness of breath. If you feel like you are developing symptoms.
When it comes to heart health make sure you know the signs to watch for to ring in for help when there can be a possible heart-related emergency like shortness of breath, pain in the left arm, neck and jaw, cold and clammy hands, fatigue and giddiness, pain in the chest along with nausea and vomiting.
Make sure to keep emergency numbers at reach to call for help when needed.
-
Stay updated with health-related information
As every day there is some new information coming out about COVID-19, staying updated about it is also necessary. Following health-related information, making sure to stay focused can help at such times to take necessary measures to stay safe and healthy.
-
Let the stress take a rest
Being constantly under such a stressful situation can be quite overwhelming for anyone, let alone older people. At such times panic is not the answer as stress can add on to the health conditions and make things worse. Stress can be a precursor to many health conditions and can complicate the health condition especially cardiovascular health. Taking a break from all the pandemic news can be done to start with and invest time in other hobbies that can keep you busy in a productive manner. Don’t hesitate to talk about your emotional condition as it can help to relieve the stress.
-
Take extra care of your heart health
COVID-19 is not the only thing to look up, elderly people also have comorbid conditions like hypertension, diabetes, hypertension, or other disease conditions that can cause a problem. At this time hospital visits for regular check-ups are to be avoided as much as possible unless necessary so attention to the health is a must. Taking medications on time, following a healthy routine, and trying to be physically active (yoga, mild exercises, meditation, etc) is important.
Technology is a friend for elders, teleconsultations can prove to be very helpful for a regular doctor consultation, a home monitoring device for ongoing health problems can help them as well healthcare providers to manage their health condition better and share necessary advice to keep up with their health. Lookup for home monitoring reliable devices that are easy to operate.
SanketLife heart monitoring device is one such solution that can help in taking care of heart health better by giving essential heart related information. The device can take a complete 12 lead ECG like any conventional ECG machine, the good part is that without any wires or patches the ECG can be taken. The device is compact, and anyone can use it without any assistance. The device can help elderly track their heart health at the comfort of their home easily. The in-app doctor review gives the ease to get reports reviewed anytime by cardiologist
SanketLife device also helps in understanding the cardiac fitness better by calculating the HRV or Heart Rate Variability of the person. HRV gives a measure of the body to handle stress and can help in guiding to achieve better overall health.
These are a few of the tips that can help elders to be prepared to take care of themselves during this time, while it’s a chance for the younger generation to show compassion towards the elders they know and lend help as much as possible because we all are into this together.
For more information visit www.sanketlife.in