Elderly Patients must be warned against exercises of all kinds, not only on account of the condition of the heart, but also on account of the condition of the arterial walls. These harden with age and break down under undue pressure.
The Nurse should instruct the patient on the points necessary for the saving of the heart. She should teach the necessity for keeping the meals small and having them more frequently if necessary; of limiting the fluids at meals to a few ounces or leaving them out altogether at this time. She should know how necessary is the reduction of the fluid. She should also warn against the taking of alcoholic beverages except with the permission and advice of a physician.
Excitement and Worry increase the blood pressure, hence must be avoided by individuals suffering with any form of heart disease.
PROBLEMS
(a) Write a diet order for an elderly patient with severe cardiac disturbance.
(b) Outline the method of administering the Karell diet.
FOOTNOTES:
[134] See Karell Cure, p. [342].
[135] “Food for the Sick,” p. 150, by Strouse and Perry.