Category: Regency Health Tips

How Seniors Can Prepare for Emergencies

Posted on by Judah

Hurricane Florence is making the news as the first major hurricane of the 2018 season. Its winds have been battering North Carolina all Thursday, and devastating storm surges and destructive winds are expected when it makes landfall early this morning.

Here in New Jersey our forecast is much calmer for the next few days, but make no mistake: hurricane season has arrived.

While the Southern portion of the East Coast tends to bear the brunt of these fierce storms, New Jersey has not been untouched in the past few years. Hurricane Sandy, of course, was the most destructive hurricane ever recorded in New Jersey, and some communities are still recovering now, 6 years later.

Several other hurricanes and tropical storms in the last few years have swept past our state, leaving damage and power outages in their wakes.

New Jersey has a large percentage of seniors, the most vulnerable population in a hurricane or any other extreme weather event. Today we’ll cover some important safety tips for seniors during hurricane season.

Stay Informed

The biggest cause of weather-related injuries and deaths is ignorance. Seniors who live alone and do not know a weather event is coming can be in serious danger. If your elderly loved one lives alone, make sure they’re aware of the weather forecast.

In any case of extreme weather, check on your elderly neighbors or loved ones in advance to make sure they’re prepared.

Seniors should keep their radio tuned to local weather stations so they can check the weather daily.

Switch Your Benefits to Direct Deposit

This is a good idea in general for seniors. Letting your Social Security benefit check come in the mail can put your put money at risk of theft. And after extreme weather, your mail service can be disrupted for days or weeks. To avoid any delays that can cause you to fall behind on paying your bills, you can choose to have your benefits deposited directly into your checking account, or onto a prepaid debit card. Call (800) 333-1795 to set it up.

Prepare an Emergency Kit

Seniors should keep enough emergency supplies in their home to last at least three days. Here are some things to stockpile in a safe, accessible place:

  • Bottled water—one gallon per person per day, for at least three days. You can use this for both drinking and sanitation, if necessary.
  • Non-perishable food, for three days. Tuna, canned vegetables, crackers, and beef jerky are all good options. Make sure to include a can opener!
  • A week’s supply of all prescription medications or treatments you currently take, as well as over-the-counter pain relievers
  • Battery-powered radio and extra batteries
  • Flashlights and extra batteries
  • First-aid kit
  • Extra blankets or sweaters, in case the power goes when it’s cold out
  • Copies of all your important documents—family records, wills, power of attorney documents, deeds, social security numbers, credit card and bank information, and tax records. Keep these documents in a waterproof case, along with the names and numbers of your loved ones and doctors.
  • Wrench or pliers to turn off utilities, if necessary
  • Enough colostomy bags, incontinence supplies, hearing aid batteries, etc. to last a week
  • Moist towelettes and garbage bags for sanitation
  • Pet supplies, if applicable

Make a Plan

Your emergency plan will depend on your circumstances, the amount of family you have in the area, and how mobile you are. In some cases, you may decide to ride out the storm at a relative’s house or other place where you can get help.

If you receive regular household help, or you travel to a hospital or clinic for regular treatment such as dialysis, speak with your care providers about how you can continue to receive the care you need should the roads be impassable.

For families who are worried about how their elderly loved ones would manage in a weather-related crisis, it may be time to consider moving them to a long-term care home. At long-term care facilities like Regency Nursing, we have detailed emergency plans in place for all scenarios.

Whether its hurricanes or winter storms, we make sure our residents and staff stay safe and sound throughout the incident.

September: National Atrial Fibrillation Awareness Month

Posted on by Judah

America observes AFib Awareness Month in September. Many people are not aware of this relatively common condition that makes strokes five times more likely.

Today we’ll talk about Atrial fibrillation, its symptoms, and how to catch it early.

What is Atrial Fibrillation?

Atrial fibrillation is often referred to as AF or AFib. It’s an irregular heartbeat, or arrhythmia, that can cause your heart to beat as high as 175 times every minute. By contrast, a healthy adult’s heart rate ranges between 60 and 100 beats per minute.

A sobering statistic from the American Heart Association says untreated atrial fibrillation could double your risk of heart-related deaths. Shockingly, less than half of all people with  AFib believe they are at increased risk.

Sustained AFib can cause strokes, heart failure, and other complications, so it’s important to take it seriously and treat it right away.

Symptoms of Atrial Fibrillation

Many people actually feel their elevated heart beat on their own. According to the Heart Rhythm Society, you may have one of the following feelings in your chest:

  • Pounding drums
  • Rumbling thunder
  • Flopping fish

Besides for the quivering, fluttering, or pounding heartbeat, there are other symptoms common to AFib, including:

  • Anxiety
  • Confusion
  • Dizziness
  • Exhaustion
  • Faintness
  • Shortness of breath

If you have any of these symptoms, especially if your heartbeat feels strange, see your doctor as soon as possible.

Treatment of Atrial Fibrillation

Not every case of AFib needs immediate treatment, and treatment will depend on many factors. The main goals in treating AFib are to lower the risk of stroke by preventing blood clots, and to treat any  underlying conditions that have caused the AFib.

If the arrhythmia is severe and/or affecting your quality of life, you will also need to control your heart rate via medication.

To learn more about Atrial Fibrillation, visit www.alittlefib.org for information and resources.

Adults and Seniors: Are You Up To Date With This Booster?

Posted on by Judah

August is National Immunization Awareness Month, a project of the CDC and National Public Health Information Coalition.

Immunizations are a public health concern because un-immunized people can spread diseases to their loved ones, neighbors, and co-workers. Vaccines are especially important for seniors, because their bodies are often frailer and more susceptible to complications of various diseases.

Here at Regency Nursing, we take vaccines very seriously for our residents and staff. If you visit loved ones at a Regency facility often, we request you stay up to date on your vaccines. The last thing you want to do is infect your elderly loved one or her roommate.

In honor of National Immunization Awareness Month, today we’re going to talk about a booster shot every single adult should get every 10 years.

national immunization awareness month logo

The Tdap Vaccine and Td Booster

The Tdap vaccine immunizes you against three diseases; tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis.

  • Tetanus, also called lockjaw, is an infection that causes severe muscle spasms. Symptoms usually start in the jaw and spread to the rest of the body. The illness can last a month, and it can take many more months to fully recover. The disease is fatal in about 10 percent of cases.

    The bacteria that cause tetanus are commonly found in soil, saliva, dust, and manure. People can contract tetanus through a cut or puncture wound by a contaminated object. After getting any kind of puncture wound, you should immediately get a tetanus shot if you are not up-to-date. Being immunized is the best way to prevent tetanus.

  • Diphtheria is a highly contagious infection of the mucus membranes in the throat and nose. Untreated diphtheria can cause severe damage to the kidneys, nervous system, and heart.

    Diphtheria is common in undeveloped countries, and rare in the United States. However, anyone who isn’t up to date on immunization is at risk of contracting the disease from someone else.

  • Pertussis is also known as whooping cough. It’s a respiratory disease that can cause serious illness in people of all ages, although it is most fatal for babies. Seniors are also at higher risk of complications from pertussis.

The Tdap vaccine is usually given to children. The CDC recommends that if you did not receive the immunization as a child, you should get the Tdap as early as possible.

In addition, all adults should get a Td booster—a formula that boosts your immunity to tetanus and diphtheria—every 10 years.

If you have not gotten the booster in the last 10 years, speak with your doctor about getting it today.

 

All About the Shingles Vaccine

Posted on by Judah

August is National Immunization Awareness Month, a project of the CDC and National Public Health Information Coalition.

Immunizations are a public health concern because un-immunized people can spread diseases to their loved ones, neighbors, and co-workers. Vaccines are especially important for seniors, because their bodies are often frailer and more susceptible to complications of various diseases.

Here at Regency Nursing, we take vaccines very seriously for our residents and staff. If you visit loved ones at a Regency facility often, we request you stay up-to-date on your vaccines. The last thing you want to do is infect your elderly loved one or her roommate.

In honor of National Immunization Awareness Month, we’ll highlight a different vaccine every week on our blog. There are specific vaccines that are recommended specifically for seniors, so today we’ll talk about a vaccine you should take if you’re over 50.

national immunization awareness month logo

Shingles

Shingles is acute, painful nerve inflammation. It is caused by the varicella-zoster virus, the same virus as chickenpox. If you have ever had chickenpox, the varicella-zoster virus remains, dormant, in your body. It can reappear at any time in the form of shingles.

Debilitating pain is the main symptom of shingles. A blistering rash usually begins 1–5 days after the pain begins, often on one band of skin. The outbreak can last between 2 and 4 weeks, and can completely devastate daily function, especially in the elderly.

Other symptoms include:

  • fever
  • headache
  • malaise
  • nausea
  • muscle pain and weakness
  • chills
  • upset stomach
  • difficulties with urination
  • fatigue
  • joint pain
  • swollen glands

Shingles can cause complications such as skin infection, inflammation of the brain, eye problems, nerve damage, and weakness.

Your risk of a shingles outbreak goes up exponentially after 50. Therefore, the CDC recommends all individuals age 50 and up receive the singles vaccine.

Shingles Vaccine

A new vaccine called Shingrix received FDA approval last October. It involves two doses, given 2–6 months apart. The vaccine is 90 percent effective against shingles and postherpetic neuralgia—a painful nerve condition that is a known complication of shingles.

The previous shingles vaccine, Zostavax, only reduced your risk of shingles by 51 percent, so this is clearly the better option. The CDC says you should take Shingrix even if you’ve already gotten Zostavax. You should also take the vaccine if you don’t remember having had chickenpox, as you may have had it as a very young child.

Side effects of Shingrix include mild soreness, redness, and swelling at the injection site. Some people also reported headaches or feeling tired and achy after receiving the shot.

The worst side effects lasted 2 or 3 days, and the CDC says that even if you experience those side effects, it’s still better than suffering through weeks of shingles and possible complications.

All About Dysphagia

Posted on by Judah

Dysphagia, or difficulty swallowing food, is a common condition among seniors. The culprits are usually either nerve or muscle problems that make it hard to get the food down to the stomach.

How Swallowing Works

You probably don’t give swallowing a second thought; it’s a natural process that just happens on its own. But it’s actually a pretty complex process. Around 50 pairs of muscles and many more nerves work together to chew your food and move it to from your moth to your stomach. It happens in three stages:

  • In the oral phase, the tongue and jaw move the food around your mouth. This stage includes chewing to break down the food into the right size and mix it with saliva for the right texture.
  • The pharyngeal phase begins when your tongue pushes the food to the back of your mouth. When the food reaches a certain point, it triggers the swallowing reflex that closes the voice box and airways.
  • The esophageal phase is about three seconds long, and involves the food’s passage through your esophagus—the tube that carries food and liquid to the stomach.

When Dysphagia Occurs

If any of the many muscles or nerves involved in this team effort are weakened or otherwise impaired, one or more of the above phases can be disrupted.

Dysphagia is usually a symptom of another condition; it rarely occurs on its own. For example, Parkinson’s disease, a degenerative neurological condition, can cause swallowing difficulties. In another example, stroke or head injury can weaken the oral muscles or affect their coordination.

Difficulty swallowing can cause a range of problems. These can be serious, and even life-threatening. Some of the effects of dysphagia include:

  • Weight loss—if you can’t swallow your food, you can’t maintain a healthy weight.
  • Choking—if chewing is affected, your food might go down in large pieces and get caught in the airway.
  • Aspiration pneumonia—this happens when food gets into the airway in small amounts, stays there, and becomes infected.
  • Esophageal weakness—this can cause a pocket to develop outside the esophagus, and trap food there. The food could then become dislodged during sleep, and cause choking or aspiration.

How to Treat Dysphagia

There are different ways to treat dysphagia, depending on the specific cause and kind of swallowing disorder.

If possible, a non-invasive way to treat dysphagia would be to alter the way you consume your food. You may need to change the food texture, temperature, size, or even your posture. Speech therapists who specialize in dysphagia can teach you specific maneuvers designed to keep food away from the airway when swallowing.

In same cases, muscle exercises can strengthen weak facial muscles or improve chewing coordination.

Many times, especially in progressive conditions, surgical insertion of a feeding tube will become necessary. The tube bypasses the weakened part of the tract and delivers nutrients directly to the stomach.

At Regency Nursing, our nurses our experts in care for patients with dysphagia and feeding tubes. Contact us to find out more.

How Palliative Care Can Smooth Your Cancer Journey

Posted on by Judah

We’ve written a lot about palliative care in the past here on the Regency Blog. As an example, here is a detailed post about the difference between palliative care and hospice care.

As a quick recap, palliative care is an area of healthcare that focuses on relieving and preventing the suffering of patients. This is care given in conjunction with curative medical care, most commonly for cancer. The patient will see an oncologist or other doctor to treat and hopefully cure his cancer, and will also see a palliative care specialist to help manage pain and other unpleasant side effects from the disease and its treatment.

Hospice care, on the other hand, is a philosophy of care that focuses on relieving a terminally ill patient’s symptoms. On hospice care, the patient typically discontinues all curative care, and focuses on physical, emotional, and spiritual support during the last months and weeks of their life.

In short: Palliative care is an important part of the hospice program, but it is also a level of care on its own. Anybody suffering from any uncomfortable disease can benefit from palliative care.

How Does Palliative Care Help With Cancer?

A cancer diagnosis is overwhelming and frightening. Most of the time you need to act quickly against the cancer, and you’re plunged into a world of treatments, pain, and other uncomfortable symptoms.

Palliative care can help maximize your quality of life and peace of mind during the turbulent ride of cancer treatment. Your expert palliative care providers can offer effective pain relief, symptom management, improved communication, and emotional support while you navigate your cancer. The team also extends support to the patient’s loved ones who are also hurting.

The care team usually consists of a doctor or nurse practitioner, a social worker, and a spiritual care provider such as clergy.

Says Dr. Rebecca Burke, palliative care specialist at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, “Palliative care is appropriate at any stage of a cancer diagnosis and can be provided along with curative treatment. The oncology team may refer patients to meet with the palliative care team due to worsening pain, uncontrolled symptoms, or for extra support when facing serious illness.”

Dr. Burke provides palliative care to outpatients at Rutgers Cancer Institute, as well as at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick. Her team helps cancer patients manage pain, control nausea, deal with anxiety, and many other issues.

“A growing body of research shows that early consultation with the palliative care team leads to improved pain and symptom management,” Dr. Burke says. “Some studies have even shown improved survival when palliative care is provided early in the course of cancer care.”

Losing Weight the Healthy Way When You Are A Senior

Posted on by Judah

Good evening to all of you, my beloved Regency family!

Our good friend of Regency, Hazel Bridges of www.agingwellness.org, wrote this exclusive healthcare article, just for all of you!

Diet and exercise, the two pillars of weight loss, tend to change as you grow older. However, they do so in different ways. Your diet may need more of certain nutrients or vitamins, but the tenets of a healthy weight-loss diet remain the same for everyone: a balance of lean protein, fiber and healthy fats, eaten in reasonable portions.

Exercise, on the other hand, tends to become more complicated with age. Your muscles and bones deteriorate and make it harder for you to move, let alone do an intense workout. However, a healthy exercise plan is crucial to weight loss, so it is important to learn to tailor your workouts to your needs if you are looking to shed some pounds.

 Healthy and Unhealthy Weight Loss

 Being older doesn’t significantly affect the rules of weight loss. You need to exercise more, eat less, and make nutritious choices. As an older adult, your main consideration will be mobility and maintain an active lifestyle despite your body having a harder time getting around.

Many seniors start experiencing unintentional weight loss when they get older. If this happens to you, even if you were overweight before, do not let it go unchecked. Unintentional weight loss can be a sign of illness, both physical and mental, and is not something to be ignored. If this happens to you, consult your doctor about it. They will be able to work with you toward a treatment that allows you to control your weight loss while keeping yourself healthy.

Building Muscle

 Perhaps the best exercise regimen to lose weight in a healthy way as a senior is weight training. This allows you to lose weight while preserving and building muscle mass. This is important, as the loss of muscle mass in old age, known as sarcopenia, is linked with increased frailty and an overall loss of mobility and independence.

According to Harvard Health, the key when doing weight training is to focus on power, not just strength. Unlike strength, which simply increases the weight you can lift, power defines how easily or effectively you are able to move. The best way to improve power is to focus on the areas that are most crucial to mobility, like the legs.

Traditional weight rooms can be expensive, not to mention intimidating for older people. You can reap the benefits of weight training at home by investing in a small home gym. A few dumbbells or kettlebells, a set of resistance bands, and an exercise ball can get you quite far, covering a variety of upper body, leg, and core strengthening workouts.

 If you choose to do this, make sure you are being safe at all times. Learn the correct form of the movement you are doing, keep your back and neck straight and do not lift more than feels comfortable. Stretch before and cool down after every workout and keep hydrated throughout.

 Cardio

Most effective fitness plans are a combination of cardio and muscle exercises. While building muscle will do wonders for your strength and mobility, cardio is what will make most of the difference when it comes to weight loss.

According to Livestrong, people over 65 should be doing 150 minutes of moderate-intensity cardio, 75 minutes of vigorous intensity cardio, or a combination of both every week. You can spread this out, for example going for a 30-minute brisk walk (moderate intensity) every weekday.

If you have problems with your joints, look for something low-impact like swimming, cycling, or yoga. Most exercises can be done at various levels of intensity, so it’s up to you to pick the pace that works best for you.

Weight loss during old age can seem particularly challenging, especially as your body starts feeling less capable of intense exercise. However, it is possible to develop and stick to a healthy exercise regime when you are over 65. The key is to know your limits and commit to working slowly towards improvement. Ultimately, you will not only lose weight, but you will also improve your long-term mobility, independence, and quality of life.

Tracheostomy Care Information

Posted on by Judah

When someone can’t breathe on their own, due to illness or injury, many times doctors will perform a tracheotomy. This is a medical procedure that temporarily or permanently opens a hole in the neck for a tube to pass through to the patient’s trachea, or windpipe.

The hole, called a tracheostomy or stoma, is located below the vocal cords. When the tube is inserted, air can enter the lungs and bypass the mouth, nose and throat.

Here’s what you need to know about the procedure:

When does a patient require a tracheostomy?

Doctors will create a stoma in any situation where breathing is impossible. This can be for patients after surgery or in intensive care, patients with chronic lung diseases or cancers, patients in a coma, or in other situations. People who need long-term respirator or ventilator support will also require a stoma.

Many times, the tracheostomy is temporary, and it will be repaired after you recover. Normally, all that’s left after recovery is a small scar where the stoma once was.

For long-term or permanent stomas, your loved one may need to learn how to speak around the tubing, and will need ongoing care. At Regency Nursing, we provide outstanding tracheostomy care to keep the incidence of complication low.

What are the risks of a tracheotomy?

Every medical procedure carries some risk. When the procedure involves breaking the skin, we have the twin risks of infection and hemorrhaging.

Tracheotomies also carry specific risks, including:

  • damage to the glands in the neck, particularly the thyroid.
  • lung puncture or collapse.
  • scar tissue in the windpipe.
  • erosion of the trachea is also a serious risk, but it’s extremely rare.

What does tracheostomy care entail?

The procedure to create the stoma shouldn’t take longer than 45 minutes. Your loved one may then stay in the hospital until they recover from the surgery. During this time, they won’t be able to eat normally, and may require a feeding tube. They may also need speech therapy to help learn how to talk around the tube.

If your loved one is going home after a tracheotomy, you will receive clear instructions on how to care for the stoma and tubing. You will need to suction the tube every day, clean the inner cannula if there is one, and change the dressing at the opening.

You will also need to check the surgical site daily for signs of infection or other complications.

If your loved one is at a skilled nursing facility, the nursing staff will take care of the stoma. At Regency Nursing in particular, your loved one will be in good hands. Our nurses are specially trained in tracheostomy care, and we go above and beyond in keeping your loved one’s stoma squeaky clean and clear.

To learn more, contact us at Regency Nursing and Rehabilitation.

All about Cataract

Posted on by Judah

Blurred objects.

Faded colors.

Double vision.

If you have or had a cataract, you’re probably familiar with these symptoms. You’re also in good company. More than half of all Americans experience a cataract by the time they reach 80 years old.

But what are cataracts? Despite, or maybe because of, its prevalence, many people don’t know much more about the condition other than that it affects the eyes. In this article, we bring you everything you need to know about cataracts.

What Is a Cataract?

Cataract is the clouding of the eye’s natural lens. The lens is situated behind the iris and pupil, and everything we see filters through it in a focused beam at retina. The retina receives the images and sends it along the optic nerve to the brain for interpretation.

The lens is made up of protein and water, and the protein is distributed perfectly to allow clear images and the full amount of light through to the retina.

Often, due to age or other factors, some of the proteins clump together and develop into a cataract. The cataract blocks some of the light coming through, affecting your vision. Cataracts vary in size; some are tiny areas of opacity, while others involve the entire lens and cause near-blindness.

Symptoms of Cataract

Cataracts develop very slowly, and you might not notice the symptoms at first. As the cloudiness increases, your vision will become blurry, and the glare from headlights at night will increase. You may notice colors seem less vibrant, and your night vision will deteriorate.

Treatment of Cataract

The changes in your vision will become more and more marked as the cataract develops. There is no way to slow your vision’s decline, but you can use visual aids to retain your sense of sight. Getting new glasses, increasing your home’s light, and using ant-glare sunglasses or magnifying lenses can all help you offset the cataract’s effects at first.

Eventually, your vision may get so bad that the only way to treat it is via surgery. In cataract surgery, the surgeon removes your clouded lens and replaces it with an artificial lens called an intraocular lens (IOL).

The surgery is a simple and almost painless procedure that has very successful results. Nine out of 10 people who have cataract surgery regain vision of between 20/20 and 20/40.

Risk Factors and Prevention

We don’t know for sure what causes the changes to the lens, but age is definitely a part of it.

Here are some other known risk factors:

  • Exposure to UV radiation, from sunlight and other sources
  • Diabetes
  • Hypertension
  • Obesity
  • Smoking
  • Prolonged use of steroids
  • Statin medication, used to reduce cholesterol
  • Previous eye injury
  • Previous eye surgery
  • Being very nearsighted
  • Family history

It’s unclear whether or not you can prevent a cataract from developing. Some studies do suggest certain nutrients can reduce your risk. For example, one study found higher intake of Vitamin E and other nutrients was associated with a drastically lower risk of cataract.

Most experts agree wearing sunglasses with 100 percent UV protection can also reduce your risk.

Since cataract most likely develops from a mix of several different factors, some of which are not changeable, there’s probably not much you can do to prevent cataract completely. Fortunately, the cataract removal procedure is safe and common, and the quality and selection of artificial lenses improve every year.

If you or someone you love has a cataract, explore your options today. There’s no reason to suffer in darkness when there’s a beautiful world waiting to be seen.

 

 

 

What You Should Know About Cholesterol

Posted on by Judah

Cholesterol is associated most with heart attacks. High levels of cholesterol are a major risk factor for heart attack. But do you know what causes those high levels of cholesterol?

In this article, we’ll discuss what cholesterol is, why it’s bad for you—and sometimes good for you, and how to keep your levels in balance.

What is Cholesterol?

Cholesterol is a waxy substance similar in structure to fat. It’s main role is to help produce hormones such as estrogen, testosterone, and cortisone. It’s also involved in Vitamin D production.

Your body makes all the cholesterol it needs; it’s rare for cholesterol levels to sink too low. Too much cholesterol in the blood becomes a problem when it combines with other substances and forms plaque. The plaque can build up on the walls of your arteries, resulting in atherosclerosis—a leading cause of heart attack and stroke.

There are three different types of cholesterol:

  • HDL—high-density lipoprotein. This is often called “good” cholesterol. It’s responsible for moving cholesterol from around your body back to your liver for digestion and elimination.
  • LDL—low-density lipoprotein. This is considered the “bad” cholesterol, because too much of it can cause the plaque build up in the arteries. In truth, LDL is only bad for you when the level of it in your blood blood becomes too high.
  • VLDL—very low-density lipoprotein. This is another form of “bad” LDL that carries triglycerides—fat cells—instead of cholesterol.

The goal is to keep your overall cholesterol levels down, and your HDL and LDLs in good balance.

There are no symptoms associated with high cholesterol. The only way to find out is with a routine blood test. Men 45 and older, and women 55 and older, should have their cholesterol levels checked every year or two.

What Causes High Cholesterol?

The most common cause of high cholesterol is unhealthy habits and lifestyle. Here are the top lifestyle causes of high cholesterol:

  • Eating a lot of saturated and trans fats. Foods that contain saturated fats are some red meats, dairy products, deep-fried foods, and processed foods. Trans fats are also found in deep-fried and processed foods. While some saturated fat is beneficial for your body, eating too much of it can dangerously raise your LDL cholesterol levels. Trans fats do not offer any benefit to your body at all, but can cause your cholesterol to shoot up.
  • Spending a lot of time sitting, with little exercise can lower HDL cholesterol levels.
  • Smoking not only lowers HDL levels, it also raises your LDL levels.

Some people also have a genetic propensity toward high cholesterol. People in that category need to watch their lifestyle even more than the general population.

How Can I Lower My Cholesterol?

Talk with your doctor about the best changes to make in your specific situation. Generally, you can begin with making some heart-healthy lifestyle changes. Overhaul your diet, start working out more, and manage your weight.

If lifestyle changes alone don’t lower your cholesterol enough, your doctor may put you on medication. The most common drugs for cholesterol are statins, which lower LDL levels and raise HDL. This helps prevent plaque from forming.

High cholesterol is common among older Americans, and we can all benefit from changing our diet and lifestyle to a more heart-healthy option. In my next post, we’ll explore one such option that experts say is the perfect diet for your heart.