Main Causes of High Cholesterol for the Elderly
Research shows that cholesterol is a substance that can be found in all the cells in one’s body. If the body doesn’t have enough healthy cholesterol, the body can’t produce the right type of hormones, minerals, or Vitamin D. Without these things, digestion can’t happen properly.
With this being said, it is important to know what factors can cause an increased in bad cholesterol levels. If your elderly loved one has high cholesterol, dangerous health issues could occur.
Eating Unhealthy
One of the primary causes of high cholesterol levels in the eldelry is eating unhealthy. If you or a senior care provider notice that your loved one eats a lot of saturated fats, trans fats, or high-cholesterol foods, this needs to change.
You and your loved one’s senior care providers should encourage them to slowly weed out the unhealthy food from their diet. They can replace 2 unhealthy foods a week with something healthier.
Being Overweight
Is your elderly loved one overweight? If so, it is important to know that this can cause their cholesterol levels to skyrocket. The more overweight they are, the more unhealthy their cholesterol levels might be.
You and senior care providers can encourage your elderly loved one to eat better and exercise more. Doing these things could help to get their weight to a healthier level.
Not Exercising Enough
It is important for your elderly loved one to know that working out will raise their HDL (good cholesterol) levels. If they are inactive, it is going to raise their bad cholesterol levels instead.
You and your loved one’s senior care providers can help them set up an exercise plan. If your elderly loved one doesn’t like exercising on their own, different options are available. They could join a fitness class, a gym, or you could workout with them.
Smoking
Many people think that smoking only affects the lungs. However, it can cause a lot of damage to blood vessels, as well. This damage can make it easier for fatty deposits to get into the blood vessels. When this happens, your elderly loved one’s bad cholesterol levels could rise significantly.
It is important for you and your loved one’s senior care providers to help them quit smoking. This can be a tough journey. However, for the health of your loved one, it is essential that they stop smoking.
These are some of the main causes of high cholesterol for the elderly. If your elderly loved one falls in one or more of these categories, be sure to help them make a plan. Even making changes to one of these categories could help to save their life.
Source: https://www.cdc.gov/cholesterol/facts.htm
If you or an aging loved-one are considering Senior Care Services in the Shawnee KS area, please contact the caring staff at Elder Care of Kansas City, today. Proudly serving Jackson, Clay, Platte and Cass Counties in Missouri as well as Johnson and Wyandotte Counties in Kansas for over 30 years. Call us at 816-333-3322.
Prior to purchasing Elder Care, Kevin spent over 20 years in the health insurance industry.In his most recent position, he was in a financial operations role with Humana where he worked with doctors, nurses and other health professionals developing programs to keep Humana members healthy.Their focus on primary care and medication adherence improved the lives of thousands of seniors in Kansas City and the surrounding area.
Kevin and his wife, Lori, have three children.Kevin has Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the University of Missouri.
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