One of the scariest things you’ll face is that late-night emergency call that your dad is sick. It happened. He had a heart attack and is in the hospital about to undergo surgery. What happens now?

Talk to His Doctors

Talk to your dad’s doctors about his care needs once he’s back home. Is he going to be able to lift items or is he going to need to slowly build strength and stamina? If he had surgery, it could be weeks before he can lift a laundry basket, bag of groceries, or bulky vacuum.

Get an idea of what he can do, what he needs to wait to do, and what appointments he’ll have. He might not be allowed to drive for several months, so he’s going to need rides to physical therapy, eye exams, medical appointments, and dental cleanings.

Stock His Home With Heart-Healthy Foods

Get rid of unhealthy foods. Even if your dad loves his potato chips and snack cakes, they’re not healthy options. Fill his fridge with yogurt, fresh fruit and vegetables, lean proteins, and fortified milks or nut milks. Make sure he has plenty of frozen fruit in his freezer.

Stock his cupboards with whole grains like barley, cracked wheat, quinoa, and farro. With oats, dried fruits, and nuts, make homemade muesli for yogurt parfaits and breakfast cereal.

Extra virgin olive oil, avocado oil, and walnut oil are heart-healthy oils to keep in stock. You also want to have white wheat or whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose flour. Invest in seeds like hemp and flax, have raw nuts available, and stock up on dried and canned beans.

Check Out His Home Layout

How easy will it be for your dad to get around his home? If his bedrooms are upstairs and the bathroom is downstairs, he shouldn’t be going up and down the stairs in the middle of the night. Can you set him up with a bedroom on the main floor? If there’s a den you could convert, that will help a lot.

How far does he have to walk to go from his favorite chair, to the kitchen, to the bathroom, and to the bedroom? He might not be able to walk a long distance, so you want to arrange his furniture so that he can get to the pertinent areas as quickly as possible.

Make Sure People Are There to Help Him

He’s going to need someone to remind him to take his pills, attend his physical therapy sessions, and take short, daily walks at first. As his stamina and strength increase, his walks can become longer. He shouldn’t be alone on walks though.

It’s time to look at the benefits of elder care after your dad’s heart attack. Support his recovery by making sure he listens to his doctor and doesn’t do anything strenuous. Talk to a specialist in elder care to make the appropriate arrangements.

If you or an aging loved one are considering hiring Elder Care in Charleston, SC, contact Heart of the Carolinas Home Care at 864-991-3116.  Providing Home Care Services in Greenville, Simpsonville, Greer, Anderson, Spartanburg, Mauldin, Seneca, Laurens, Charleston, Columbia and the surrounding areas.

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Edward Harrison

Founder at Heart of the Carolinas

Edward Harrison founded the Heart of the Carolinas Homecare in 2007 when he saw there was a need for caregivers that provide non-medical home care services, at a price that most people could afford. It was standard in the industry to require hourly minimums and it was common to be assigned a caregiver, not matched with one based on your individual personal needs. Edward understood that to make a successful relationship between caregiver and client, skills were not enough, personality and compatibility plays as much a role as do skills.

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