1. Health
2. When a parent has a heart problem

Heart Disease

• Article - How to Tell if Your Parent Is Having a Heart Attack

  Five heart attack symptoms to watch for and how to respond if you see symptoms of a heart attack.

• Article - Managing Congestive Heart Failure

  A parent with congestive heart failure can lead an active life, especially if he knows how to manage the early-stage symptoms. Here's how to help.

• Checklist - 10 Ways You Can Help Your Parents Prevent a Stroke

  Stroke prevention: 10 ways you can help prevent a stroke. These stroke prevention strategies will help your parents reduce their risk of a stroke.

• Article - What to Do When Your Parent Experiences Depression After a Stroke

  Understanding the emotional aftermath of a stroke, including the warning signs of depression and what you can do to help your parent.

• Article - What to Do When Your Parent Experiences Depression After a Heart Attack

  Understanding the emotional aftermath of your parent's heart attack, including the warning signs of depression and what you can do to help.

• Article - How to Tell if Your Parent Is Having a Stroke

  How to Tell if Your Parent Is Having a Stroke. 5 stroke symptoms to watch for and what to do if your parent shows symptoms of a stroke.

• Article - What to Expect After a Heart Attack

  What to expect after a heart attack. A caregiver's guide to common physical and emotional concerns. Find out what to expect and how you can help.

• Article - TIA: What You Should Know if Your Parent Is at Risk for a Stroke

  Understanding your parent's risk of a transient ischemic attack (TIA), or ministroke, including the symptoms of a TIA and what you should do if your parent has a stroke or a ministroke.

• Checklist - 10 Questions to Ask After a Heart Attack

  10 Questions to Ask After a Heart Attack. Was it a mild heart attack? What about side effects? Find out and set a realistic timetable for recovery.

• Checklist - 10 Ways You Can Help Your Parents Prevent a Heart Attack

  Heart disease is the number one killer in the United States. Reduce the risks by following these 10 ways to prevent a heart attack.

• Buying Guide - A Buyer's Guide to Personal Emergency Response Systems

  Guide to personal emergency response systems, or PERS. Home devices that connect your parent to a 24-hour call center with the push of a button.

• Article - How Much Care Will Your Parent Need After a Stroke?

  How to assess how much care and help your parent will need after a stroke.

• Article - How to Help Your Parent Make Dietary Changes

  Advice on how to help your parent with chronic conditions like diabetes and heart disease make dietary changes for the better.

Blog Posts

• Blog Post - Link Between Depression and Heart Disease

  ScienceDaily offers a sneak peek at the findings of...

• Blog Post - Help! My mom's in hospice and my sister and I are arguing about her funeral.

  Our mom has said she wants to be cremated "so you don...

• Blog Post - Caregiving Isn't for Sissies

  Caregiving requires courage, compassion, resourcefulness, and an open heart -- qualities that most of us would use to describe a hero.

• Blog Post - Dementia Caregivers: Ready to Make Your Brain a Promise?

  Scary new statistics about Alzheimer's disease and dementia are a wake-up call to caregivers to take better care of themselves.

• Blog Post - How can I deal with my mom's anger at me for urging her to move my dad to an Alzheimer's residence, where he fell in love with another woman?

  My mother, who took care of my father through the early...

• Blog Post - Are You Worried Sick About Your Parent's Heart Disease?

  Caring for someone with heart disease may increase your risk of heart disease and depression. Consider these tips for better heart health.

• Blog Post - Could You Have Diabetes -- And Not Know It?

  Find out if you're at risk for type 2 diabetes by taking the American Diabetes Association's Diabetes Risk Test.

• Blog Post - Fat Belly Now Doubles Risk of Dementia Later

  A new study links belly fat in midlife with an increased risk of developing dementia later in life. It's the first-ever study to link excess weight to Alzheimer's-type dementias.

• Blog Post - Exciting News For Heart and Stroke Patients

  Two-drug combination blood pressure therapy lowers cardiovascular risk in patients with high blood pressure.

• Blog Post - Caregiving: Does it Have to Be This Hard?

  A summary of caregiving in the U.S. in 2008: some statistics and how it got this way

• Blog Post - My father seems interested in moving in with me -- and I don't want him to.

  At 81, my dad has Parkinson's, three heart stents,...

• Blog Post - Depressed? Try Sleeping It Off

  Research shows insomnia prolongs depression in some elderly people. Tips to help your parent sleep better -- and help her overcome depression.

• Blog Post - Dementia Caregiver? 4+ Ways You Can Take a Break

  Ideas for how dementia caregivers can use the arts for stress relief.

• Blog Post - Embarrassment Assistance! The Gift of Plain Wrapping

  Buying adult incontinence products online can save your parents from stressful embarrassment.

• Blog Post - My mother's growing needs are putting a strain on my marriage, and I find myself wondering which will fall apart first -- her, my marriage, or me. What can I do?

  Since my dad died five years ago, my mother has had...

• Blog Post - Solutions for Seniors Who Struggle to Get Enough Zzzs

  Sleep problems are common among the elderly; find ways to help your parents get a good night's rest.

• Blog Post - Questions I Wish I'd Asked Mom

  Reflections on a first motherless Mother's Day.

• Blog Post - Diabetes Studies: Good News? Bad News? Who Knows?

  How to make sense of drug study findings for people caring for parents with type 2 diabetes.

• Blog Post - A Drug for the Bones Causes Risk to the Heart

  New research shows that the osteoporosis drug Fosamax nearly doubles the risk of atrial fibrillation.

• Blog Post - My mother is gambling away every last penny -- and her financial independence. What should I do?

  Since my father's death two years ago, my 75-year-old...

• Blog Post - My dad wants to double-date with me!

  What to do when your elderly dad starts dating -- and he wants to double-date with you and your spouse.

• Blog Post - Quick Quiz: Should Your Parents Stay at Home or Move?

  Quiz to help adult children figure out whether aging parents can stay at home or should move to retirement communities.

• Blog Post - My mother has asked not to be resuscitated if she has a medical crisis, but my siblings disagree on what constitutes a medical crisis.

  Before she showed signs of dementia, my mother decided...

• Blog Post - Memory Problems? Don't Blame Bypass Surgery

  New research suggests that coronary artery disease, not bypass surgery, may be to blame for heart patients' cognitive decline.

• Blog Post - Don't Wait for a Doctor's Visit to Test for High Blood Pressure

  For those with high blood pressure, home monitoring is recommended by the American Heart Association and other major organizations.

• Blog Post - In Men With Type 2 Diabetes, Bedroom Blues May Signal a Broken Heart

  In men with type 2 diabetes, erectile dysfunction may be a warning sign for serious heart trouble, including heart attack and death.

• Blog Post - Cancer Research Breakthroughs Offer New Cancer Drug Options

  New cancer drugs offer hope for those with breast cancer, lung cancer, brain tumors, and pancreatic cancer.

• Blog Post - Can You Keep Type 2 Diabetes at Bay With a Mediterranean Diet?

  Type 2 diabetes may be kept at bay by eating a Mediterranean diet, a new study suggests.

• Blog Post - My mother, who suffers from dementia and alcoholism, wants my sister and me to be her caregivers, so she keeps sending away the one we've hired.

  My sister and I hired a caregiver to come into our...

• Blog Post - Heart Attack! Do You Know the Warning Signs?

  Nearly half of patients with heart disease don't know the signs of heart attack. Here's a list of symptoms and what to do if heart attack strikes.

• Blog Post - Know Thy Father: A Guide to Dad's Day

  Knowing your dad well is a good guide to celebrating Father's Day.

• Blog Post - Getting to the Heart of Recent Diabetes Findings

  Making sense of three type 2 diabetes studies, known as ACCORD. ADVANCE, and the Veterans Affairs Diabetes Trial, intense glucose control, and heart trouble.

• Blog Post - You're Not Imagining It: More People Have Alzheimer's

  Alzheimer's disease is now the sixth leading cause of death in the US.

• Blog Post - Heartburn or Heart Attack? Women May Miss the Signs

  Women often attribute heart attack symptoms to indigestion, stress, and fatigue. Here's a list of the less typical signs of heart attack.

• Blog Post - The Connection Between Diabetes and Sleep Apnea

  People with type 2 diabetes urged to get checked for sleep apnea.

• Blog Post - My mother says she's lonely, and it's heartbreaking for me to hear her crying at night. What can I do to help her?

  My father died seven years ago, and for quite some...

• Blog Post - Macular Degeneration: All Eyes Are on Hormone Therapy

  New research shows that taking hormones cuts a woman's risk of macular degeneration in half. But hormone therapy raises the risk for other health conditions.

Questions & Answers

• Question - Should my father be taking aspirin now that he's been diagnosed with heart disease?

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - What can be done to help my mother's fatigue, caused by her heart failure meds?

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - How long do people live with congestive heart failure?

  Typical life expectancy with congestive heart failure.

• Question - My grandmother is on a ventilator and has moderate heart failure. What does this mean?

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - What does "end stage" congestive heart failure mean for my mother?

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - Why are my father's heart palpitations getting more frequent?

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - How can I tell if my mother's having an angina episode or a heart attack?

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - Is my mother's "racing heart" normal after a bypass?

  After a bypass, is a racing heart normal? A racing heart after a bypass or heart surgery--possibly atrial fibrillation--requires medical attention.

• Question - How can I keep my father from overexerting himself after his heart attack?

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - Could heart failure medications be causing my dad's back pain?

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - How do we deal with my father who has heart failure who wants to travel and expects only family to care for him?

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - Do you have any healthy recipe suggestions for a stroke patient?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert and a Community Member

• Question - Did bypass surgery change my father-in-law's personality for the worse?

  Can heart surgery change someone's personality? My father-in-law was a very mellow, easygoing person until he had bypass surgery.

• Question - How can I get my father to stop smoking now that he's had a heart attack?

  This question has been answered by two Community Members

• Question - Is my father's discomfort a week after his angioplasty normal?

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - Why is my mother's ovarian cancer causing swelling in her legs and feet?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - Can Coenzyme Q10 raise my mother's ejection fraction?

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - Why doesn't my mother's doctor want to perform a red blood cell transfusion, just because she's never had one before?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - What could be the cause of my mother's weight loss?

  Weight loss and coronary artery disease

• Question - My mother is 86 years old, and in very poor health. She has...

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - Which chemotherapy drugs require a muga scan before they can be administered?

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - What is the red chemo that is administered by a large needle over a 15 minute time span and what are the side effects?

  Adriamycin, aka doxorubicin or the Red Devil, is a red chemo that may be taken with other cancer drugs. Possible side effects include heart failure.

• Question - Is hospitalization or a clinic better for lymphedema treatment?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - What is a MUGA test?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - What drugs are used to treat cardiac problems and COPD?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - When you have 100% blockage on the right side, 80% on the left and they tell you that surgery won't work, what is the next step?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - Is type 2 diabetes less serious than type 1?

  My mom, just diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, keeps it under control without taking insulin. So is type 2 diabetes less of a problem than insulin-dependent type 1?

• Question - What's the best way to handle criticism about the Alzheimer's care I'm giving my mom?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert and a Community Member

• Question - What could be causing my 80-year-old father's repeated falls?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - What can I do to encourage my dad to wear his emergency response device?

  This question has been answered by two Caring.com Experts

• Question - Why are my mother's hand and arm swollen after her stroke?

  My mom had a mild stroke. She's been complaining of pain and I noticed that her hand and forearm are swollen. Are swollen hands and arms normal?

• Question - How can I convince my father to have coronary bypass surgery?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - What can I do to encourage my dad to wear his personal emergency response (PERS) device?

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - Can exercise raise my mother-in-law's ejection fraction?

  Can exercise raise my mother-in-law's ejection fraction? Her ejection fraction (EF) is now 10 percent, what it was before bypass surgery.

• Question - Exactly which chemotherapy drugs are cardiotoxic?

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - hes palpitation have suddenly become allot more frequent.

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - How can I help my mom deal with high blood sugar, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol?

  Along with high blood sugar, someone with diabetes might also have high blood pressure and cholesterol. But she can reduce all three the same way.

• Question - How can I convince my stubborn father to see a doctor about his diabetes?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - Answer to hiding medications in food or drinks.

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - My dad eats lots of sweets and doesn't like to drink water--could he have diabetes?

  Find out if a sweet tooth or a lack of thirst are symptoms for type 2 diabetes.

• Question - Can I safeguard my mother even if I'm not designated her guardian?

  The first step is to see what actual legal authority your brother has to act. The second is to take action to do or undo the situation.

• Question - Could my father's loud snoring be caused by a medical problem?

  Loud snoring may indicate a medical problem like sleep apnea. Loud snoring could also be caused by obesity, alcohol, smoking, and medications.

• Question - How do you know when it is time to declare a parent incompetent and how is this accomplished?

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - How can I help boost my mother's mood after her bypass surgery?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - How do I help my 90-year-old father face end of life issues?

  Unanswered. Can you help?

• Question - Can you tell me about a drug called Sumitinib?

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - Could the girdling sensation below my father's chest be the result of his stroke?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - How can I help my father, who is bedridden and has numerous health problems, face the end of his life?

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - With how emotional my mom can get and how quickly she also...

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - My mom has type 2 diabetes, so does that mean I'll get it?

  Know your risk factors for type 2 diabetes if one or both parents have the disease -- and the steps to take to avoid developing diabetes later on.

• Question - How do I get the stains and smell associated with urine out of a recliner?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - Answer to getting my able-bodied mom to bathe?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - What do I say to my dying father, from whom I'm estranged?

  Calling your estranged father on his deathbed will be time and a dime well spent.

• Question - What is the meaning of dying?

  The raw time after a parent's death can be a rich time to ponder the bigger questions of life.

• Question - Can my half-brother keep me from seeing my mother, who is in a nursing home?

  Make sure you've tried to get to the bottom of a family member's attempts to block you from seeing your ailing mother. Then, you may need to take matters in your own hands.

• Question - What can my grandfather do to help him relax about his cancer?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - Do you have any tips for moving my parente out of a nursing home back to a home?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - What happens to an elderly person's credit card at death?

  First, get the facts to back up suspicions that an elderly person is being financially abused. If it's true, act quickly to stop it.

• Question - How can I help my father, who is a hoarder, clear out his house so that it is not a hazard?

  Unanswered. Can you help?

• Question - How do we deal with my father-in-law's denial that my mother-in-law is dying?

  Unanswered. Can you help?

• Question - How do I help my mother cope with the side effects from being administered Adriamycin, more than five years ago?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - Can a durable power of attorney be made irrevocable?

  Powers of attorney may be something that's even better than irrevocable: They're flexible.

Tips & Reflections

• Tip - Heart-Healthy Chocolate?

  How can you help lower your parent's blood pressure...

• Tip - React FAST to a Possible Stroke

  If you think your parent may have had a stroke, act F...

• Tip - Listen to the Doctor's Advice

  Do you ever feel like you're being bombarded with information...

• Tip - A Timely Reminder for Stroke Survivors

  If your parent has had a stroke, is he neglecting his...

• Tip - Monitoring Fluid Retention for Heart Failure

  If your parent has heart failure, one of the important...

• Tip - Talk to Your Parent's Doctors About CHF Meds

  People with congestive heart failure (CHF) often take...

• Tip - Keep a Notebook to Help Manage Heart Failure

  Careful, accurate records are vital when your parent...

• Tip - Alleviate the Pain of Claw Toe

  One of the more painful complications of stroke is...

• Tip - Pamper Your Parent With a Pedicure

  If your parent has had a stroke, it might be difficult...

• Tip - Curly Elastic Shoelaces Make "Tying" Shoes a Snap

  If your parent has had a stroke, tying her own shoes...

• Tip - Protect Floors and Carpets From Food Spills

  Mealtimes can be frustrating for both stroke survivors...

• Tip - Stock Your Parents' Freezer With Heart-Healthy Meals

  If your parents have heart problems make it easier for them to eat healthfully and create and freeze enough heart-healthy meals to last a week or two.

• Tip - Managing Zippers After a Stroke

  Simple daily tasks like zipping and unzipping your...