How to Help Your Aging Parents Stay Healthy

Anyone can need help to stay healthy, irrespective of their present age. However, the time has a way of catching up with all of us and, as a result, seniors need more help with it than any other age group. If you have aging parents at home, here are a few suggestions that should enable you to help them stay fitter and healthier during their golden years.

Arrange for Regular Medical Assessments

As any doctor or medical personnel with enough geriatric experience will tell you, it’s all about anticipating the emergencies before they happen in the case of seniors, rather than waiting for symptoms to show up. The only way to achieve that is to ensure that people go through regular medical checkups after a certain age.

From a semi congested artery to unusual forgetfulness, almost every precursor to a health problem can be determined in advance through regular medical checkups. Talk with your parents and help them arrange their regular health examinations for avoiding emergencies to a great degree.

Acknowledge their Transition

Transitioning from an independent individual to someone who needs assistance with even their daily routine is neither easy nor pleasant. When that happens, it is up to the children to notice signs of their parents’ gradual loss of independent living capabilities. Failing to acknowledge those signs can lead to serious health complications. For example, loss of neuromuscular coordination and balance is common in seniors.

As we tend to lose bone density and muscle mass after a certain age, a single fall at an advanced age can lead to multiple fractures. Not only are those fractures a cause for serious alarm, but bad breaks may not heal like they would in younger patients. To prevent such an accident, there are steps suggested by the National Institute of Aging to fall-proof the shower and the house in general.

Assisted Living Options

The example above was just one out of the countless, potential physical dangers that our senior parents face on a daily basis. Even more common and devastating can be the psychological and neurological impacts brought on by aging and aging-related illnesses. Depression, irritability, forgetfulness, mood swings, disinterest, morbid thoughts, etc. are far more common in seniors than we would like to believe. To improve and maintain both the physical and mental wellness of your aging parents, consider having a talk with them about assisted living options. More often than not, an assisted living community such as Brandywine Living can turn out to be a blessing for seniors.

A reputed senior living community would cater specifically to all possible factors which are known to have adverse effects on their residents’ physical and mental health. There would be medical checkups, regular exercise sessions, therapy, emergency services, group activities, special care options, gourmet meals, personalized diets, and so much more in place that even the most loving child simply cannot arrange for on a daily basis.

What makes assisted living communities stand out in particular though is the fact that they are a community of similarly aged people, which addresses the two biggest issues faced by seniors: lack of companionship and loneliness. Don’t forget that visiting your parents frequently at the community is something that nothing else can replace, and that much will always be expected from you by your folks.