Feb 17, 2023

Love Your Heart: 5 Heart Healthy Tips for Older Adults

As we age, the way our bodies work begins to change – including our hearts. Older adults above age 65 are more susceptible to heart disease. Luckily, there are ways to monitor our heart health, reduce the risk of heart disease, and boost our overall health and well-being.

Here are 5 ways to Love Your Heart and promote heart health:

Maintain a Heart Healthy Diet – What you put in your body can drastically affect your heart’s function. At Loretto, we have extraordinary nutritionists and food service staff to help you or your loved one maintain a diet that’s right for you and your health.
Stress Less – High stress can increase the risk of cardiovascular health problems. Scaling back on stressful situations when you can is helpful. There are many ways to help reduce stress, like meditation, spending time with others, therapeutic animals, and getting outside. In our Loretto communities, we are lucky to have great recreation therapists and community spaces that make doing these things easy!
Don’t Smoke – Smoking increases your risk of heart disease. We strongly encourage you to refrain from smoking or quit if you are a smoker.
Move Your Body – Staying active helps improve heart health. From exercise classes to simply taking a stroll around your community – getting the heart pumping is one way to keep you and your heart healthy. At Loretto, we have many opportunities to stay active such as Tai Chi, chair yoga, walking groups, and more!
Don’t Skip That Checkup – It is crucial to stay on top of heart health screenings such as cholesterol, blood pressure, heart rate, and more. Whether you participate in one of Loretto’s programs, like PACE, or live in one of our communities, we help ensure that you or your loved ones arrive at your appointments safely and help manage your health.