Is your elderly family member concerned about her weight? It turns out that she might have reason to want to keep an eye on what her weight fluctuations might mean for her. Senior home care services can help your elderly family member to enjoy healthy meals, remember to exercise, and also be on the lookout for unexpected changes with her weight.
It Can Be More Difficult for Seniors to Maintain a Healthy Weight
As your elderly family member ages, a variety of factors might make it more difficult for her to maintain a healthy weight. Whether she’s unexpectedly gaining or losing weight, she might find that it is a lot more challenging to convince her body to stay at that spot where she’s been comfortable. Sometimes the changes are related to metabolism changes, but sometimes they can be related to other issues, like medications or changes in activity levels.
Help Keep Health Issues Under Control
If your elderly family member has existing health issues, keeping her weight under better control may help to keep those health issues from getting out of hand. Health concerns like diabetes and high blood pressure are more difficult to manage if your elderly family member’s weight is increasing unexpectedly. And if your senior is suddenly losing weight unexpectedly, that might be another indication that her health issues are not under control. When your senior’s health is a little more chaotic, she may need more assistance from senior home care to keep her environment and her routines steady.
Weight Issues Can Affect Mobility
Gaining weight unexpectedly can cause serious mobility issues for your elderly family member. If she hasn’t been as active as she used to be, her muscles may have more trouble with excess weight. As your senior becomes less active, that can become a vicious cycle because she may find that it’s even more difficult to get around easily. Staying active can help your aging adult to keep her weight where she wants it to be and helps her to maintain her mobility. Senior home care professionals can be instrumental in assisting your senior with safe mobility.
Weight Issues Can Lead to Health Problems
Having trouble with her weight can not only contribute to existing health issues, but it can create new ones for your elderly family member. Losing too much weight can lead to muscle weakness and even fragility. Your senior’s immune system, bones, and other systems might not be able to work well at all. Gaining weight unexpectedly can contribute to other health issues, too, like cardiovascular disease. It’s vital to find ways to help your elderly family member to maintain a healthy balance.
It’s always important to talk with your senior’s doctor about what her ideal weight truly is and how she should get to that ideal weight. If you or your elderly family member notice that her weight is changing unexpectedly, her doctor can help her to determine what might be going on. Keep in mind also that it’s normal for weight to fluctuate by a few pounds one way or another, but bigger fluctuations are a cause for concern.
Source
https://www.webmd.com/healthy-aging/default.htm
If you or an aging loved one is considering senior home care in Lockwood, MT, call the caring staff at SYNERGY Home Care of Billings today. 406-839-2390
