Monterey, CA Women Have A Harder Time Recovering Emotionally Following A Heart Attack Than Men

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Heart attacks are not easy to recover from as the hard workers at one of our Platinum sponsors, Alliance Home Health, can attest to.  Many of the people they care for are senior citizens, and for the elderly, recovering from a major medical problem like a heart attack or stroke is a long arduous process.  Recovery times vary widely, and depend on the general health of the patient, their age and immune system.  There are other factors which play a part as well.  A new Gallup poll found that women who survive heart attacks suffer a greater emotional toll than men.  Both genders report more sadness, worry and stress and less enjoyment of life following a heart attack.  But the interviews, which cull data for the Gallup-Healthways Well Being Index, found that male survivors scored 77 out of 100 in their emotional well being following a heart attack compared with 73 for women.  The average score for non-heart attack victims was 81 for both men and women in the survey.  A full 35% of female survey respondents reported having been clinically diagnosed with depression following a heart attack versus 24% of men.  One factor impacting the results is that women are often sicker following a heart attack because they tend to wait longer to seek support after feeling warning signs such as chest pain and shortness of breath.  Seek medical attention immediately if you show signs like this.  And if you are unfortunate enough to have a heart attack, it's important that you have a solid support system of friends, family and if necessary some type of support group or counseling so you can make a full physical and emotional recovery after a heart attack. 

Please note that this blog reflects my personal opinion and may or may not reflect the opinion of Hands To Help Seniors and the individual members comprising the Board of Governors.