Home > Blog > November 2016 > Why Your Elderly Loved One Might Benefit from a Home Blood Pressure Monitor

Why Your Elderly Loved One Might Benefit from a Home Blood Pressure Monitor

Posted: 11/17/2016 7:53 AM by Interim HealthCare

Whether your elderly loved one has low or high blood pressure, regular monitoring with a home blood pressure monitor can help her to manage her health much more efficiently.

The "White Coat Effect"
Many people experience something called the "White Coat Effect" when they go to their doctor's office. What this means is that their blood pressure levels may be higher or even lower than they really are when they're measured in the doctor's office. This can actually give your loved one's doctor inaccurate information on which to rely when prescribing medications or other treatments for her blood pressure issues.

You Can Monitor More Regularly
By using a home blood pressure monitor, you can monitor your elderly loved one's blood pressure readings at different times of day, before or after specific activities, or at other times that your loved one's doctor recommends. Many home monitors can keep track of your loved one's readings for you, too, or upload them to a system that both you and your loved one's doctor can access to recommend changes in treatments.

Your Loved One Might Be More Motivated to Change Behaviors
Having daily access to her blood pressure readings can be motivational for your elderly loved one. If her readings are particularly high one day, for example, your loved one might be more inclined to choose healthier foods, to get a little more exercise, or to otherwise adhere to recommendations from her doctor. This kind of fast feedback can have lasting effects on your loved one's choices as she sees results from them on a daily basis.

They're Easier to Use than Ever
Some people fear that home blood pressure monitors are difficult to use, especially if the only blood pressure monitors they've seen are the ones at a doctor's office. Home blood pressure monitors are easier to use than ever before and they don't require special training. Your loved one, you, or her senior care providers can all work the monitor for your loved one, getting her accurate and timely results.
Work with your loved one's doctor to determine target ranges for her blood pressure and the best ways to use a home monitor for your loved one's health.

If you have an aging loved one in need of elderly care contact Interim HealthCare today.