If your elderly family member’s bones are weak at all, that could leave her in danger of developing osteoporosis or experiencing a broken bone. These are situations that you may be able to help your elderly family member to avoid by doing a few different things that help her to strengthen her bones. The key is to establish a plan with her doctor and then to follow through.
Work Closely with Her Doctor
Your senior’s doctor can help her to develop a plan that keeps her bones as strong as possible, no matter what health issues she’s facing. There might be some specific recommendations, like adjusting her diet or adding exercise. Keeping her doctor in the loop is going to help your senior’s plan for managing her bone health that much more accurate.
Figure out Possible Tripping Hazards
Whether your senior is dealing with serious health issues that affect her bone health or not, removing tripping hazards is a huge step in caring for her bones. Clutter and other issues, such as being unable to keep up with regular household chores, could leave your senior more vulnerable to tripping over her belongings. Working with home care providers is a great way to both manage those issues and to maintain cleared spaces.
Consider Some Supplements, if Necessary
Depending on your elderly family member’s specific needs, supplements may be a good idea. Calcium, vitamin D, and other minerals are a big part of bone health. If your senior’s diet hasn’t always been the greatest or if she’s deficient in some of these vitamins and minerals, it’s a good idea to help those levels to improve. Most of her vitamins and minerals are best to come from her diet itself, but that isn’t always possible. Talk to your senior’s doctor about which supplements she most needs.
Weight-bearing Exercise Is Really Important
Exercise that relies on your senior to work against gravity, also called weight-bearing exercise, is fantastic for improving bone health. These are exercises like walking or riding a bike. There are other types of exercise that might be good, too, like balance-building exercises. Your elderly family member’s doctor can help you to determine what the best exercises are for her.
Bone health is just one part of helping your senior to be as healthy and as happy as possible. There are a lot of moving parts involved in keeping your elderly family member healthy, so it makes sense to get help when you need it. Home care providers can help you and your senior to stick to her care plan.
If you or an aging loved one is considering home care in Franktown, CO, please contact the caring staff at SYNERGY HomeCare today at 303-953-9924.
