Home Care for Seniors with Osteoporosis

There are several important things to remember when providing home care for seniors with Osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is a bone disease, in which the density of the bones deteriorates and causes a high risk of bone fractures.

In the United States, 55% of people over 50 currently have Osteoporosis and about 80% of those are women. Seniors with Osteoporosis are much more likely to fall and fracture bones, which can result in multiple complications, including increased mortality, especially in hip fractures.

However, home care providers can prevent falls, help to counteract Osteoporosis and help seniors live healthier and happier lives by encouraging seniors eat properly and get enough exercise, which leads to happier and healthier lives.

It is very important that home care providers encourage seniors to exercise properly, however, the caregiver should understand each senior’s abilities and limitations before helping them start any kind of exercise program. If the caregiver is unsure about how much exercise is healthy for the senior, they should ask a doctor for additional information.

There are several recommended exercise programs which have shown to significantly increase the bone mass density of seniors suffer from Osteoporosis, including:

• Strength and endurance training 
• Stepping exercises
• Light weight training
• Gymnastics
• Walking on a treadmill or elliptical machine
• Water exercise
• And more

If a home care provider is having trouble getting the senior to exercise regularly, there are creative ways to provide encouragement including offering to cook food favorites following exercise, rewarding the senior with a fun activity afterwards or on days off and even participating in the exercise program with the senior!

Seniors who have Osteoporosis should eat nutritiously by making sure they are consuming proper amounts of Calcium, Vitamin D and Vitamin K. Caregivers should encourage seniors to get healthy amounts of sunlight, eat lots of green leafy vegetables and possibly take calcium supplements (a physician should be consulted before starting a senior on any additional supplements).

Comfort Keepers^®, the compassionate and professional home care service of Claremont, Pasadena, Beverly Hills, West Hollywood, Rancho Cucamonga and surrounding Greater Los Angeles and Inland Empire communities, provides highly-trained and friendly caregivers to help seniors who live independently. Through the Interactive Caregiving^® service, caregivers and seniors establish lasting relationships through participating in fun activities together, which helps senior clients live healthier, happier lives.