Caregivers in Durham, NC Can Help Seniors Fight Osteoporosis With Diet & Nutrition
If you, like many people, have only heard of osteoporosis through ads on TV there’s a good chance you are missing important information about the disease. How much do you really know about prevention and treatment?
What Is Osteoporosis?
Osteoporosis is a common condition that is caused when bones lose minerals, such as calcium, faster than they can be replaced. This loss of bone density can occur in any bone and often doesn’t even have symptoms until a fracture or break occurs!
For this reason, osteoporosis is often called the 'silent disease'.
Over time, repeated fractures can cause a host of health issues, like loss of mobility or independence, chronic pain, or even premature death, making ensuring bone health a priority for seniors.
Give us a call at (919) 338-2044 to learn more!
Eat More Calcium Rich Foods!
Even though osteoporosis doesn’t normally show symptoms, that doesn’t mean there aren’t ways you can help your loved one prevent it. One way you can start is by helping them ensure they’re getting enough calcium in their diet.
This can benefit and strengthen bones at any age!
When discussing foods that contain a lot of calcium, most people know about dairy products like milk, cheese, and yogurt but, those are just a start! Other calcium rich products include:
- Calcium Fortified Foods: breakfast cereal, oatmeal, and some orange juices
- Veggies: spinach, okra, collards, white beans, and kale
- Fish: sardines, salmon, trout, and perch
- Almond Milk: it has 2x more calcium than cow’s milk!
What’s The Big Deal With Vitamin D?
What makes vitamin D so essential to bone health? Well, that has to do with how calcium is absorbed into the body.
Without enough vitamin D the body can’t produce enough of the hormone called calcitriol, which leads to insufficient calcium absorption from diet. When this happens the body will take the calcium it needs from existing bones, weakening them and preventing the growth of new, strong bone.
Recommended vitamin D rich foods include:
- Orange Juice
- Fatty fish, such as tuna, mackerel, and salmon
- Fortified foods like cereals, some dairy products, or soy milk
- Beef liver
You can get vitamin D in three ways: through skin from sun exposure, from supplements, and through diet.
What Else Should You Know?
While ensuring your loved one is eating a healthy diet, rich in calcium and vitamin D is important, it is only part of osteoporosis prevention and may not outweigh bone loss caused by menopause, lifestyle, or medications.
A doctor can determine whether or not your loved one needs any additional osteoporosis treatments or medications.
How In Home Care Can Make The Difference
At Comfort Keepers®, we understand that there are hardly enough hours in a day to keep track of everything including, your senior loved one’s eating habits. That’s where we can jump in to help!
Our caregivers can help ensure your loved one is getting the nutrients they need to promote bone health through our practice called Interactive Caregiving™.
What this means is, your senior will be cared for not simply physically but, mentally and socially as well. Our caregivers work hand in hand with their seniors to plan activities that they can look forward like meals, social calls, and more. Our goal is to inspire seniors to do more than simply view and we’d love to get started today!
If you’d like to learn more about how our philosophy of Interactive Caregiving™ and our caregivers can help your loved one improve their diet and lifestyle choices please, contact us online any time or call us at (919) 338-2044. Our operators are available 24/7 to answer your questions and schedule your free in home consultation.
