Tag: Senior Health Issues

Osteoporosis is a condition that affects bone density, making bones weak and more prone to fractures. It is a common condition among seniors, especially women. In-home care can benefit seniors with osteoporosis, helping them maintain their independence. Here are some tips on how to care for a senior with osteoporosis:

Ensure a Safe Home Environment

Seniors with osteoporosis are at risk of falls and fractures, so it is crucial to make sure their home environment is safe. Remove any trip hazards, such as throwing rugs or clutter, and install handrails in areas where the senior may need support, such as in the bathroom or on stairs.

Give Them a Healthy Diet

A healthy diet is essential for maintaining bone health. Encourage the senior to eat foods that are rich in calcium and vitamin D, such as dairy products, leafy greens, and fish. If necessary, talk to a doctor or nutritionist about supplements.

Encourage Exercise

Exercise is important for maintaining bone density and strength. Encourage the senior to engage in low-impact exercises like walking, swimming, or tai chi. Talk to a doctor or physical therapist about a safe exercise program if necessary.

Monitor Medications

Medications may be prescribed to help manage osteoporosis but can also have side effects. Ensure the seniors take their medicines as prescribed and monitor for any adverse effects.

Provide Emotional Support

Osteoporosis can be difficult to live with, and seniors may feel anxious or depressed. Provide emotional support by listening to their concerns, offering encouragement, and engaging in enjoyable activities together.

Schedule Regular Doctor Appointments

Regular checkups with a doctor are essential for monitoring the senior’s condition and adjusting treatment as necessary. Encourage seniors to attend all appointments and ask questions about their condition and treatment.

In-Home Care for Seniors with Osteoporosis

The following are ways in which in-home care can help seniors with osteoporosis:

Assist with Mobility

Seniors with osteoporosis may have difficulty getting around due to the risk of falls and fractures. In-home caregivers can assist with mobility, helping seniors move around the house safely.

Assist with Daily Activities

In-home caregivers can assist with daily living activities, such as bathing, dressing, grooming, and toileting. This can help seniors maintain their independence.

Medication Management

Seniors with osteoporosis may need to take medication to help manage their condition. In-home caregivers can provide medication reminders, ensuring seniors take their medicines as prescribed.

Meal Preparation

Seniors with osteoporosis may need a special diet to help maintain bone health. In-home caregivers can prepare nutritious meals that meet the dietary needs of seniors with osteoporosis.

Companionship

Seniors with osteoporosis may feel isolated and lonely, especially if they cannot leave the house due to mobility issues. In-home caregivers can provide companionship, engaging seniors in conversation and activities to help improve their mental health and well-being.

Fall Prevention

In-home caregivers can help prevent falls by ensuring the home is free from hazards and assisting with mobility.

Sources
https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/osteoporosis
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2685234/

If you or an aging loved one is considering in-home care in St. Louis Park, MN, and the surrounding areas, please contact the friendly staff at CareBuilders at Home Minnesota. Call today 612-260-2273.

March is National Kidney Month. Sadly, kidney disease is often called a silent disease because, in the early stages, there are few symptoms. Up to 90% of Americans who have chronic kidney disease don’t realize they have it until the disease is well advanced.

What Increases the Risk of Kidney Disease?

Having certain high-risk factors can make your loved one more likely to develop kidney disease. Diseases like diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure all greatly increase her risk of kidney disease developing.

If the kidney disease has progressed, your loved one might begin to develop symptoms that should be reviewed by her doctor as soon as possible to get her back on the path to better health.

Symptoms of Kidney Disease

Here is a list of the symptoms you might see in your loved one or your senior home care team may call to your attention if they notice them as well. Because many of these symptoms can also be indicative of other health issues, it’s important to have a doctor review them and perform any needed tests to determine the cause.

  • Your loved one is often feeling nauseous or is even to the point of vomiting but without any other ailment going on. If your senior home care provider notices your loved one isn’t eating because her stomach is consistently unsettled, make an appointment for your loved one.
  • With those symptoms, loss of appetite may occur where you don’t see your loved one enjoying the foods she used to enjoy or simply not eating enough at meals. Your senior home care provider may notice she only picks at her meals or leaves more than half of her meal on her plate unfinished.
  • Change in urination patterns. Kidney disease can cause your loved one to urinate more often or it can decrease her ability to urinate. If something just doesn’t feel right, you should get it checked out for her.
  • Repeatedly getting muscle cramps. Your senior may complain about leg cramps more often or have other muscles suddenly cramp up for no reason.
  • Confused or unable to concentrate. Sometimes kidney disease can decrease a person’s cognitive functions, making daily decisions and following directions more difficult than ever. If you see your loved one asking you to repeat your question, or explain something over again, there could be several health issues causing the issue, and checking kidney function would be a good place to start while looking for the cause.
  • Your loved one may notice her feet and ankles are retaining water or swelling up. Her kidneys may not be functioning well by helping her body get rid of excess fluid. Any edema (the swelling due to fluid retention) should be reviewed by her doctor.

What Happens Following a Kidney Disease Diagnosis

If kidney disease is the cause, doctors will help your loved one and you find a path to better health. This may help prevent her from having kidney failure. The sooner the disease is caught, the more that can be done to reduce the risk of irreversible damage.

How Can Senior Home Care Help?

There’s no cure for chronic kidney disease (CKD), but treatment can help relieve the symptoms and stop it getting worse. Under the direction of your parent’s doctor, senior home care can help them manage chronic kidney disease. Improved nutrition, medication management and healthy lifestyle choices can all help reduce the impact. Having the support of senior home care can offer peace of mind for seniors and their family members as they navigate this disease.

https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/community-health-outreach/national-kidney-month#:~:text=March%20is%20National%20Kidney%20Month!

If you or an aging loved one is considering senior home care in St. Louis Park, MN, and the surrounding areas, please contact the friendly staff at CareBuilders at Home Minnesota. Call today 612-260-2273.

Just one of the many issues that seniors can face as they grow older is the impact of both depression and isolation on their mental and physical health. Ignoring these feelings when they crop up doesn’t help your senior to get what she needs. In fact, not resolving these issues can cause much bigger problems down the line. Home care assistance can help you and your senior to find the tools that she needs in her unique situation.

What Happens When Seniors Experience Depression and Isolation?

Depression is a common condition among seniors and can be caused by a variety of factors, such as a loss of independence, chronic illness, and the loss of loved ones. Depression can also be caused by chemical changes in the brain and body, so talking to your senior’s doctor is a good idea. Symptoms of depression in seniors can include feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and a lack of interest in activities they once enjoyed. Isolation can lead to depression, which is a big reason to try to find solutions that help your elderly family member to avoid isolation. Some of the causes of isolation include mobility problems, health issues, and lack of support systems.

Hands-on Help When Your Senior Needs It

If your elderly family member is experiencing a lot of difficulty with daily tasks, mobility, or other concerns, home care assistance is an excellent solution. Caregivers are able to take on household tasks, personal care tasks, and offer help in other ways, like with transportation. All of these solutions offer tangible assistance that your elderly family member may find incredibly useful.

Socialization and Reaching Out to Other People

When your elderly family member spends time with senior home care providers, they’re offering her opportunities to socialize and to engage with other people. They can also help your senior to find it easier to socialize with other people, by helping with transportation or making it easier for your senior to have visitors over. When your senior feels more comfortable letting people into her spaces, she’s less likely to experience isolation or to have those feelings worsen into depression.

Companionship and Emotional Support

Home care assistance can also encourage your elderly family member to engage in activities she enjoys, even if she needs a little help. Spending time with someone while she gardens, reads, or watches favorite movies offers your senior emotional support and companionship that might have been difficult to incorporate into her daily life otherwise. In-home care professionals really get to know your senior, including her preferences and habits, which means that they can offer her the support that she truly needs.

Even though depression and isolation are common for seniors, that doesn’t mean that your senior must simply suffer through these issues. Home care assistance can give your senior the solutions that she needs in order to resolve the underlying problems, thereby reducing the risk of your senior having to deal with those consequences at all. If your elderly family member is experiencing depression, make sure to talk with her doctor to rule out medical causes.

If you or an aging loved one is considering home care assistance in Coon Rapids, MN, and the surrounding areas, please contact the friendly staff at CareBuilders at Home Minnesota. Call today 612-260-2273.

The chances that a senior will develop a blood clot increase as they get older. The more sedentary seniors are the higher their risk of getting a blood clot is. Blood clots can be deadly for anyone, but they can be particularly risky for seniors. Often they cause strokes or heart attacks in seniors over the age of 65. It’s very important that seniors know the symptoms of a blood clot. Seniors who have a blood clot need to get medical help right away.

In-home care can help seniors get help right away which can help save their lives. So if your senior doesn’t have in-home care and they have risk factors of developing a blood clot you should look into in-home care for seniors. The symptoms of a blood clot in seniors include:

Swelling

If a senior notices that they have swelling on one foot, ankle, or calm but not the other that could be a sign of a blood clot. Typically if seniors have edema, or swelling in the legs, it’s in both legs, ankles, or feet. If the swelling is only present in one leg that’s something that should be paid attention to. Swelling that doesn’t go down after a senior sits with their legs raised or lays down is also a concern. Seniors that are prone to edema can wear compression stockings or socks to reduce the swelling.

Cramps

Cramps in the calf can be a sign of a blood clot. However, muscle cramps can also be a sign of nutritional deficiency and other medical conditions. To know if the cramps indicate a blood clot seniors should pay attention to their other symptoms. If the cramp is their only symptom is may not be a blood clot but if they experience cramps in the calf plus other symptoms of a blood cloth they should get medical attention right away.

Discolored Skin

Seniors who notice discolored skin that is red or blue in one area of their calf or part of their leg should get medical help right way. Especially if they are experiencing other symptoms of a blood clot. It’s a good idea for seniors to get any change in the color of their skin checked out right away no matter where the discoloration is. But if it’s on the leg, calf, or ankle it needs to be checked out by a doctor right away.

Warmth

Often when someone has a blood clot one area of their leg will feel warmer to the touch than other parts of the leg. Seniors who experience warmth in one of their legs combine with other symptoms like swelling should go to urgent care or emergency right away to make sure that they don’t have a clot.

Getting treatment for a blood clot right away can prevent serious medical problems like strokes and it can also lead to seniors getting medication what will prevent future clots.

Sources:
https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/dvt/features/keyfinding-hospitalizations-vte.html
https://pathwayshealth.org/hospice-topics/why-deep-vein-thrombosis-may-be-more-common-in-the-elderly/

If you or an aging loved one is considering in-home care in Minnetonka, MN, and the surrounding areas, please contact the friendly staff at CareBuilders at Home Minnesota. Call today 612-260-2273.