As a family caregiver, you’ve noticed your parent sleeping a little bit more in the recliner. They no longer spend time in the garden and they head for the bedroom shortly after dinner. Many contribute this increasing fatigue to a normal part of the aging process; however, often it is a red flag—the body’s way of shouting that something isn’t working the way it should be and needs to be addressed.
Diseases that Cause Fatigue
The complaint of fatigue is often brushed aside, even by medical practitioners. Their attention is more often fixed upon the “serious” illnesses such as heart disease, cancer or diabetes, leaving fatigue to be figured in as just a byproduct of the other diseases occurring in someone’s life. And many times it is, until it isn’t.
A study conducted at Columbia University followed 2,130 people with an average age of 74 for six years, re-evaluating them every 18 months. The statistics showed that lack of energy was commonly linked to joint problems, pain medications, urinary incontinence, hearing problems, depression and social isolation. They also went to the hospital more often and had higher death rates. Lack of energy was also associated with heart, kidney and lung disease as well as anemia.
How to Help Your Parent
Once a physical examination has ruled out any major illnesses that need to be addressed, there are lifestyle changes that may help your parent get back to gardening again. Slow and steady wins the race. Continually making little changes can lead to big results. “Your life does not get better by chance, it gets better by change.”—Jim Rohn.
To find their missing spark, help your parent incorporate these changes in their life:
- Routine is important to the physical body. Start one by going to bed and getting up at the same time every day. If a nap is required, make it earlier in the day and for no longer than 30 minutes.
- Limit the intake of alcohol, nicotine and caffeine, all barriers to a good night’s sleep.
- Create a diet rich in energy-producing foods. These include a wealth of fruits and vegetables such as leafy greens and berries. Load up at least half of their plate at lunch and dinner with vegetables. And, no, a potato is not a vegetable. Well, botanically…yes, nutritionally…no. It is a starch. Limit processed and packaged foods.
- Exercise at least 30 minutes a day for most days of the week. And do what you love. Diametrically opposed? Au contraire. Exercise is more than spending 20 minutes on the stationary bicycle. If you parent’s routine has become boring or mundane, help them find alternatives. The local senior community center is often brimming with exercise classes that are unique and engaging such as tai chi, yoga or aqua aerobics.
Home Care Provider
A home care provider can assist with the everyday activities that your parent may be having a difficult time accomplishing in their present state. At the same time, they can prepare healthy meals, accompany them on walks, and encourage them to remain socially engaged by providing both care and companionship—key components to a life filled with energy.
For more information about how the caregivers at La Jolla Nurses Homecare can help your aging parents remain in their own homes, call 858-454-9339. We are a home care agency providing quality and affordable home care in Coronado, CA, and the surrounding communities.
Resources
http://www.webmd.com/healthy-aging/news/20080808/fatigue-among-elders-tied-to-other-ills#1
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