The primary risk for stroke is high blood pressure. Secondary risks include age and gender. While age and gender cannot be controlled, high blood pressure can. According to the American Stroke Association, "the chance of having a stroke approximately doubles for each decade of life after age 55...Each year, women have more strokes than men, and stroke kills more women than men. Use of birth control pills, pregnancy, history of preeclampsia/eclampsia or gestational diabetes, oral contraceptive use, smoking, and post-menopausal hormone therapy may pose special stroke risks for women."
This means that if you are a senior woman and have any of the indicators associated with stroke, it is going to be essential to control any risks that can be minimized, especially high blood pressure, diabetes, and smoking.
Seniors who have smoked for much of their life may find quitting difficult since smoking is an addiction with both physical and mental properties. Home health care staff can recommend a smoking cessation program and support your loved one on their quest toward a smoke-free life. …show more content…
Blood pressure is affected by a number of different factors such as weight, cholesterol, and stress. If your loved one is overweight or obese, it is likely that they also have high blood pressure. Losing the weight almost always helps lower blood pressure as well. High cholesterol has a number of negative effects on the body, high blood pressure is just one of them. Stress causes the body to release cortisol which not only causes the body to add fat, but it typically increases blood pressure as well. It should come as no surprise that stress is also one of the major triggers of a