Senior Hydration
Senior Hydration: Staying hydrated is a crucial part of good health. And sometimes, it can be tough to keep seniors hydrated. This is because as we get older, we lose some of our sense of thirst and our ability to notice when we’re too hot. Plus, many seniors take medications that are dehydrating, which means that they should be keeping an extra close eye on their hydration. Dehydration can be a serious medical emergency in seniors, which is why it’s so important to keep your loved one hydrated.
Signs of Dehydration in Seniors
Common signs of dehydration include weakness, fatigue, dry mouth, headaches, low blood pressure, and in severe cases, the inability to sweat. One great way to keep track of hydration is urine color. Light or pale yellow urine indicates good hydration, while darker urine indicates dehydration. Some seniors may take medications that change urine color, so be sure to note that. You can also tell whether someone is dehydrated by pinching the skin on the back of their hand and seeing how fast it snaps back. If the skin stays in that pinched position for longer than usual, your senior is very likely dehydrated.
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Keeping Seniors Hydrated
One way that you can keep your loved one hydrated is by educating them about proper hydration and reminding them to drink water. Encourage them to carry a water bottle with them or keep water bottles in places they most commonly spend their time so that they can remember to drink throughout the day. It’s much easier for seniors to drink a little bit throughout the day than to have a large glass all at once.
You can also encourage seniors to stay hydrated by suggesting that they eat foods high in water. Things like celery, apples, or oranges are great choices. Popsicles, herbal tea, and sports drinks can be good choices as well, especially if your senior doesn’t like regular water.
Finally, do your best to keep them in a cool, air conditioned place. If their home doesn’t currently have air conditioning, consider getting some fans or portable air conditioning units to help them cool down. If they are outside, make sure they’re staying hydrated and resting in the shade when needed.
Comfort Keepers Can Help
At Comfort Keepers, we offer in-home caregiving services to seniors who want to live independently in their own homes. Our caregivers can provide a number of services to help your loved one stay healthy, including making sure that they stay hydrated.
If you’re interested in our services at Comfort Keepers, contact us at our Calgary location today so that we can get started on creating a specialized care plan for your senior. We look forward to meeting you and your loved one!
Bonus Article: Custom In-Home Senior Care
In Home Caregiver and Low Impact Exercises
Low Impact Exercises for Seniors
Low Impact Exercises | There is no lack of research touting the myriad benefits of exercise. This makes it all the more frustrating for millions of seniors who want to harness these benefits but are physically limited by chronic pain and disease. The good news is that most of the benefits associated with regular exercise do not require gym memberships, fancy equipment, or even strenuous activity. In fact, low-impact exercises are often preferable as they produce benefits while limiting potential pain and injury.
Low-impact and high-impact refers the to amount of stress placed upon the joints during exercise and not the intensity or effectiveness of the movements or routines. Many low-impact exercises go so far as to remove any stressful or repetitive contact of body parts with hard surfaces. Examples of such activities include swimming, biking, yoga, and Tai Chi. Others, such as water aerobics or low-impact aerobics allow the contact of limbs with the ground, but in a highly-controlled manner. Water aerobics offsets the impact of the limbs and stress on joints through the buoyancy of the water.
Many of the benefits of regular exercise are related to a controlled increase in the heart rate. Low-impact exercises are able to increase the heart rate just as effectively as high-impact exercises. Many of them also come with the added benefits of working on balance and flexibility as well. Further, low-impact exercises tend to raise the heart rate at a slower pace so those who need to carefully monitor their heart rate or blood pressure can do so more easily.
Of course, the greatest benefit of low-impact exercise is the lack of stress on the joints. This makes low-impact activities a great option for seniors dealing with joint pain from arthritis and autoimmune disorders or who are worried about the consequences of osteoporosis. In addition to protecting joints from impact, the loss of weight through exercise makes a significant difference when it comes to the workload the joints are subjected to. Losing just five or ten pounds can make an enormous difference that can be felt in the joints.
In Home Caregiver for Calgary’s Seniors
Seniors who live alone may have additional concerns about exercise, especially if they are dealing with physical pain or issues that limit mobility. Should they fall or get injured, they may not be able to get help. Other times, the stress related to the exercise counteracts the benefits. This is where an in home caregiver can make all of the difference. An in home caregiver can provide the physical, emotional and social support needed for seniors to exercise safely and confidently. Plus, it is a whole lot more fun to work out when there is somebody to encourage you, prod you on, and talk to. An in home caregiver can also provide transportation to a senior center, fitness center, or pool should transportation be needed.
In short, low-impact exercises are far from inferior forms of exercise. In addition to being joint-safe, they are effective ways to reduce stress, reduce weight, and lower cholesterol and blood pressure. In situations where seniors require assistance to take advantage of exercise opportunities, a senior caregiver can provide essential physical, emotional, and social supports.
Comfort Keepers® Calgary Can Help with Low Impact Exercises
If you are concerned about the safety of your aging loved ones, especially in regard to fire, we can help. While it’s important to rely on the expertise of licensed professionals for certain precautions, we can provide home safety assessments and ensure your loved ones’ environment is safe.