If I had to recommend one key piece of healthcare equipment that older adults & caregivers should have at home, it would be this: a good home blood pressure (BP) monitor.
Why? Because BP measurements (and pulse measurements, which machines check at the same time) are an incredibly useful tool when it comes to assessing and optimizing an older person’s health and wellbeing. This is true even for those older people who aren’t being treated for hypertension (chronic high BP).
As I’d love for more seniors and caregivers to understand how home BP monitors can help them, in this post I’ll explain how home BP monitors can be helpful specifically for older adults. Then in a follow-up post, I’ll offer a few thoughts as to how to go about choosing one and using it.