While it’s perfectly natural for seniors to develop at least a few medical issues over the years, being unhealthy doesn’t have to be a part of the aging process. With a little bit of hard work and some support, your aging loved one should be able to take charge of his or her health. Boosting your loved one’s overall health and wellbeing can enhance his or her quality of life and reduce the risk of developing life-altering medical complications.
Set Solid Goals
The first step in this process is sitting down with your loved one and setting specific health goals. Without goals, it will be very difficult for your loved one to stay motivated when hitting roadblocks or plateaus. For many older adults, one of the best goals is to stay within a healthy weight range. Your loved one might also want to take control of his or her cholesterol and blood pressure levels.
Schedule a Comprehensive Checkup
If your loved one hasn’t been to the doctor in the last 12 months, you’ll need to schedule a comprehensive checkup. As a general rule, adults over the age of 65 should have one or two checkups every year. During these appointments, their doctors will be able to screen them for a wide variety of common health problems. In addition to annual checkups with their primary physicians, they also need to schedule appointments with eye doctors and dentists.
Start a Food Journal
After following the same diet for years, it can be very difficult for older adults to change their eating habits. To get a better idea of exactly what your loved one is eating every day, you might want to ask him or her to start a food journal. Once your loved one has filled out the journal for a short time, it will be much easier to tell exactly where any changes need to be made. Following a healthy diet could have a big impact on your loved one’s physical and mental health.
A home caregiver can help your loved one plan and prepare healthy meals. Not every senior has the same care needs, which means they don’t all need the same type of homecare. You can rely on Home Care Assistance to provide individualized care plans to meet your elderly loved one’s unique care needs. Our holistic Balanced Care Method was designed to help seniors focus on healthy lifestyle habits such as eating nutritious foods, exercising regularly, and maintaining strong social ties, and our Cognitive Therapeutics Method offers mentally stimulating activities that can stave off cognitive decline and delay the onset of dementia.
Engage in Some Type of Physical Activity
Engaging in traditional workout routines isn’t practical for many seniors, but that doesn’t mean your loved one needs to give up on exercise entirely. There are many different ways to burn calories, build muscle, and strengthen joints. Even light chores can be very beneficial for older adults who might otherwise be sedentary. Your loved one might also enjoy brisk walks, yoga, dance classes, or hikes.
If your loved one needs help with exercising safely, consider enlisting the help of a professional home caregiver. Living independently is important for seniors who want to maintain a high quality of life. For some, this simply means receiving help with tasks that have become more challenging to manage over time. Even when families have the best intentions, they may not have the time to provide the care their elderly loved ones need and deserve. If your loved one needs help for a few hours a day or a few days a week, reach out to Home Care Assistance, a trusted provider of respite care Montgomery seniors can depend on.
Build Meaningful & Healthy Relationships
Focusing on your loved one’s physical health is a great start, but you must also ensure his or her emotional health and psychological wellbeing are looked after. Regularly meeting with family members and friends is one of the most effective ways for older adults to remain socially and mentally stimulated. Even if they can’t meet in person, they can still send text messages, write emails, and talk to their loved ones on the phone and via video chats.
A compassionate home caregiver can be a wonderful source of regular socialization and companionship for your loved one. One of the most challenging tasks of helping an elderly relative age in place safely and comfortably is researching agencies that provide senior care. Montgomery families can turn to Home Care Assistance for reliable, high-quality in-home care for aging adults. We offer 24-hour live-in care for seniors who require extensive assistance, and we also offer respite care for family caregivers who need a break from their caregiving duties. We will work with you to create a customized home care plan that’s suited for your loved one’s unique needs. Call the Home Care Assistance team at (334) 593-3988 today.