5 winter care tips for the elderly

Stay warm

Elder adults are at greater risk of weather-related health problems and injuries, such as hypothermia, when temperatures drop. Wear warm clothes – Cover up your body the moment you feel cold. Don’t wait till you start shivering. It is recommended to wear gloves, socks, scarves, a woollen hat, and/or anything

that keeps your body warm & comfortable. While enjoying the winter season is essential, remember to take steps to stay healthy. This is especially true for the elderly, whose immune systems are weak and more susceptible to illness.

2. Stay active

While winters may seem like the perfect time of year to stay in bed longer, curl up, and stay inside all day, staying active and connected is a good idea. Any exercise can help increase your heart rate, regulate blood flow and eliminate winter depression, lethargy, stiffness, and pain. Physical activity also makes you sweat, removes toxins, and keeps your skin healthy. You can invest in handy

exercise equipment at home when you can’t go out. In addition, daily yoga or any physical activity can help warm up and strengthen your immune system, improving your defences against seasonal illnesses such as flu and colds.

3. Stay hydrated

Naturally, in winter, you are less thirsty than usual throughout the year. However, dehydration can dehydrate the body due to the lack of moisture in the air. Water helps clean our system, carries nutrients to the body cells, and helps maintain the body’s fluid balance. So ensure that you drink plenty of water. If you don’t want to drink cold water, drink room temperature or make yourself

lukewarm tea that you can drink throughout the day. Keep rooms warm and humid.

4. Take care of your skin

Older people often neglect to take care of their skin. Older people need more skincare than usual because their skin becomes dry and itchy in winter. Damaged skin is one of the winter dangers. Cold weather causes dry, itchy skin, chapped lips, and cracked heels. Winter skincare must include moisturizing, applying sunscreen, and increasing water intake. Remember to apply sunscreen before going out. Everyone, including the elderly, should go outside and enjoy winter. But they need to be more conscious before going out.

5. Eat a well-balanced diet

• Balanced nutrition rich in whole grains, lean meats, fish, poultry, legumes, nuts and seeds, herbs and spices, and fresh fruits and vegetables is essential to boosting your immune system. You can also optimize your intake of vitamin C-rich foods that help strengthen your system and keep your body healthy. Older people need to ensure they don’t miss out on the essential nutrients their bodies need to keep infections at bay. So balanced meals are ideal. Also, eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, whole grain products, and dried fruits.

• Shower using lukewarm water: “There’s nothing more satisfying than a bubbly hot shower when it’s cold outside. But while hot showers feel great, they can cause skin problems. On the other hand, a lukewarm shower followed by a hydrating routine can help prevent dry skin.

• Quit Smoking: Smoking makes one more susceptible to respiratory infections in the winter, so you should quit. 

• Vitamin D: Get outside and enjoy the warm sun. Our bodies need vitamin D. Vitamin D is important for maintaining good health and immunity, and vitamin D is also necessary for regulating mood.

  
  

CONCLUSION:

Staying hydrated, eating right, and exercising can lay a good foundation for maintaining good health in winter. Winter has long been associated with illness. Bacterial infections are expected during the change of seasons, so please take the necessary measures to protect your health. The cold weather may have tempted you to relax and enjoy the weather, but don’t neglect your health.

Source: https://www.apollohospitals.com/health-library/5-winter-care-tips-for-the-elderly/

Caregiving for Senior Citizens

We are used to taking care of loved ones in the comfort of our homes. However, when a caregiver is assigned it is pertinent to understand how they can extend assistance in the absence of children.

Planning Ahead

We should speak with our parents to understand the kind of help they think they need and how they’d like to get it. It can be difficult at times to plan ahead because one may not know how situations unfold in days to come.

We should ask these questions: Is our loved one able to stay at home alone with help from time to time, or would it be better to provide them with full time caregiver assistance.

Types of Care

A caregiver may have to provide different kinds of support depending on the needs:

Personal care: Caregiver can help with bathing, dressing, grooming and other personal care. For aging parents, it is a role reversal because they’re used to taking care of their kids.

Household help: Caregiver can also assist in cleaning, laundry, and yard work. Food also can be a key part of caregiving. An elderly person may need help for grocery shopping and preparing healthy meals.

Emotional support: An elderly person look forward to spending time with his/ her children just talking and by way of emotional support. They may also expect to rely on regular visits by children so they don’t get lonely. Sometimes older people can easily forget things or get grumpy. This is when the role of caregiver becomes important in the absence of children.

Health care: A caregiver may need help with their medical requirements like making sure they take medicines or go with them for doctor’s appointments. To make it easier, one can prepare pill boxes that have each day’s pills ready for a whole week. A caregiver can assist by taking a senior citizen for doctor visits to ask questions and take notes.

Understand Health Issues

There’s a chance of some health concerns as well. Older people often have issues like heart disease, Alzheimer’s, depression etc.

It’s important that the caregiver is aware of such issues. One should be able to spot symptoms if things get worse. The caregiver should be better prepared for doctor visits to give updates on their health.

Make the Home Safe

Whether parents are is staying in their home or their children make safety a priority. Take steps to reduce their risk of falling, and other basic safety measures like these:

• Remove throw rugs.

• Place non-skid strips on hardwood and tile floors.

• Add safety rails in showers and tubs and near the toilet.

• Reduce water temperature to below 120 F (48.9 C).

• Move furniture and clear clutter to create clear, wide paths.

• Place nightlights throughout the home.

• Cover stairs with non-skid strips or carpet, and install nightlights at the top

• and bottom.

  
  

Know That Plans Can Change

One may have a care plan today that’s working well. But it may change as well. And if a caregiver is injured or is down with an illness like COVID-19, a backup plan has to be in place. Choose someone who can take care of your loved one if you can’t.

Take Care of oneself

The caregiver has to take care of oneself so that he/ she more focused and do a better job. There are a few things that one can do to stay on top of the game:

• Make time for sleep. A daily routine can help having sleep on time.

• Don’t forget to eat. A caregiver should also have meals at regular intervals.

Orthopaedic Problems in Senior Citizens: Diagnosis and Treatment Options

Orthopaedic problems in older adults are widespread—more than 50% of people over 65 experience orthopaedic pain. While most conditions are not life-threatening, so they do not worsen. This article discusses senior citizens' most common orthopaedic issues, symptoms, and treatments. Senior citizens' most common orthopaedic problems include osteoporosis, fractures, osteoarthritis, and dislocations. Some commonly observed orthopaedic problems reported by senior citizens are: 

Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is a disease that causes the bones to become weak and more likely to break. It is widespread among older people because they have less muscle mass and their bones lose calcium over the years. Doctors often recommend weight-bearing exercises like walking or jogging to help strengthen the muscles around the hips and legs. 

The weight-bearing exercises may also help prevent falls due to decreased balance as you age. People with osteoporosis should also wear protective gear when participating in activities with a high risk of injury from falling onto hard ground surfaces such as concrete or asphalt.

Osteoarthritis

A common condition of arthritis in senior citizens, osteoarthritis, causes gradual cartilage degeneration. Cartilage is a tough, smooth tissue that cushions and protects bones at joints. When you move, this cartilage helps reduce friction between your bones and provides a shock-absorbing effect while allowing movement.

When osteoarthritis develops, the articular (joint) cartilage loses its cushioning function, so bones rub together instead of gliding smoothly over each other as they should, leading to pain and stiffness in affected joints. 

Fractures

Fractures are a common problem among senior citizens. Fractures result from falls, sports injuries and motor vehicle accidents. There are many different types of fractures:

• Closed fracture

  The bone breaks through the skin but does not break apart into two or more pieces. Closed fractures usually heal on their own with rest, medication and therapy. The doctor may have to remove parts of bone or metal before this happens, though!

• Open fracture

  The bone breaks through the skin and enters an open wound; it may also split into two or more pieces that cannot be put back together without surgery (this is called an unstable fracture). Open fractures require immediate surgery, so you don't lose too much blood from your injury. 

Dislocations

Another problem that affects the joints of older adults is dislocation. Dislocations are joints forced out of their normal position, either by a blow to the body or twisting the joint. Dislocations can cause severe pain and swelling, and sometimes even bone damage. Most dislocations do not require surgery if treated within 24 hours, but they should still be seen in an emergency room as soon as possible.

Diagnosis of Orthopedic Problems in Senior Citizens

The following tests diagnose orthopaedic problems in senior citizens:

• X-rays

  An x-ray is a form of radiation that allows us to see inside the body without making a cut. X-rays are used in medicine to diagnose many conditions, including broken bones. 

• CT scans

  CT scans are a type of x-ray that uses an electron beam and computer processing to generate cross-sectional images of body parts.

MRI scans

MRI uses radio waves to create images of organs or other structures inside your body. MRI doesn't hurt, and it';s safe for everyone, including senior citizens.

Bone density test

Bone density tests measure the amount and quality of bone in your skeleton and your risk for fractures. They can help determine whether treatment is necessary to avoid broken bones in the future.

Physical examination

An orthopaedic specialist's detailed analysis of the patient's joints, muscles,

and bones and a review of their medical history. An orthopaedic doctor may

also need blood tests to check for arthritis-related conditions such as

rheumatoid arthritis or lupus.

Treatments of Orthopaedic problems in senior citizens:

Medicines

An orthopaedic doctor may prescribe drugs to treat your condition.

Physical Therapy

Physical therapy includes exercises that strengthen and stretch muscles, help restore normal joint motion and alignment and improve mobility and balance. A physical therapist also trains to use assistive devices such as canes or walkers for support when walking around.

Surgery

Doctors consider surgery when other treatments have failed to provide relief from pain or restore function in an injured area of the body. Surgery treats fractures that do not heal properly on their own within six weeks after injury, dislocation injuries where the bones don't fall into place naturally and narrowing spinal disks.

Lifestyle Changes For A Better Orthopaedic Health

As senior citizens age, their bones can become more brittle, leading to various orthopaedic health issues. Fortunately, some lifestyle changes can help prevent these issues from occurring.

• Walk

  Regular exercise is one of the best things you can do to maintain healthy bones and joints as you age. Even thirty minutes of walking every day or other aerobic activity can help keep your bones strong and flexible.

• Diet Rich In Calcium, Vitamin D, Proteins And Other Nutrients

It is essential to ensure enough calcium in your diet for bone health. Vitamin D helps promote calcium absorption in your body, and proteins are necessary for bone and muscle health.

• Regular Check-up

Ensure regular check-up with your doctor so they can monitor any changes in your bone health over time and recommend any additional steps you may need to take for optimal bone health as an older adult.

The treatment of orthopaedic problems in senior citizens is a challenging area for healthcare professionals. Orthopaedic conditions are more common among older people, and these individuals may have additional comorbidities that could complicate treatment. 

Adapted from: https://www.manipalhospitals.com/kharadi/blog/orthopaedic-

problems-in-senior-citizens-diagnosis-and-treatment-options/