Solutions For The 6 Top Health Challenges/habits Faced By Those Caring For Aging Parents

Being a caregiver for your aging parents is a tough job and there are 6 typical challenges faced: constipation, lack of drinking/hydration, not eating well, not sleeping well, depression or poor mood, joint issues and energy. Add to this the fact many senior adults begin to slowly not take all of their medications as prescribed and many issues will arise.
As a life coach who specializes in helping boomers caring for their aging parents, I utilize many tips & tricks to help reduce the aging challenges you face. So, to try to help you from seeing your aging parent 'put' on prescription medications and their side effects, we offer 6 natural ways to deal with some of the most common health issues faced by those caring for aging parents.

1.Constipation is usually an issue and to combat this, drinking a great deal more (water especially) is critical. Drinking more liquids also keeps the body hydrated and makes urination more forceful. If urination is more of a 'dribbling', rather than forceful, the bladder does not empty entirely, thus leaving a small amount of urine in the bladder that has bacteria in it. The bacteria multiply and quickly can turn into a bladder infection. Tip: several drinks throughout the day and make it a habit.

2.Omega 3 at 2400 mg a day is great for the heart, the brain, helps with constipation, moods, joints and many other physical aspects. You can get Omega 3 in several ways - fish oil but it must be short lived fish, otherwise the oil is likely to have environmental toxins in it. Borage Oil and Flaxseed Oil are two other common Omega 3 means. You can even get combinations of all three. It doesn't take very long before you'll some results taking Omega 3 and if you doubt it, stop taking it and see how you feel.

3.Waking up at night and difficulty getting back to sleep - Melatonin is a great resource for this. You decrease how much Melatonin you make as you age (significantly), so supplementing it with 1 mg at bed and really help going to sleep but also not waking up as often at night and if you do, you can more easily go back to sleep. Melatonin also comes in 3 mg, but never take more than 3 mg a day.

4.I've worked with several people whose parent had been put on an anti-depressant to help with slight depression or for sleep. Natural solutions for moods and depression which also help with sleep but do not have the negative side effects of prescriptions are: Multi-B Complex and 5-HTP. Both are offered in your local grocery store. Stress, injuries and such deplete your body of B vitamins and taking a Multi-B Complex vitamin daily can really help with a person's mood. The 5-HTP cannot be taken with any type of anti-depressant - stop the prescription one for a week (or as recommended by your doctor) and then start the 5-HTP. It is a great alternative and works by increasing a person's serotonin brain level, the same as the prescription but naturally.

5.Is your aging parent dealing with joint issues? Glucosamine w/ Chronditon is still one of the best natural products to help. Several other products are now available that have names like Bio-Flex and so forth that are very helpful too. If arthritis is involved, then an anti-inflammatory diet would likely benefit the person too.

6.As you age, you may require less energy but you still need just as many nutrients from food as when you were younger. The most common vitamins and micronutrients senior adults are deficient in are: calcium, magnesium, potassium, vitamin E, vitamin D and vitamin C.

Chinese Americans tend to have the lowest dietary intakes of all micronutrients and Blacks have significantly lower dietary intakes of calcium than Whites and Hispanics.

Taking a very good multi-vitamin daily is essential and you cannot get what is needed in one pill. Look at quality daily multi-vitamins that usually require you taking several pills a day for a daily dosage.

Pay attention to the habit many senior adults have - counter grazing. This means eating finger foods empty in calories and easy to reach junk foods that are usually left on the counter. Figure out ways to improve what is eaten. Main meal at noon and experiment with foods as when you age, you sense of smell and taste change (can't tell when food is 'bad' either) and people adapt by eating sweeter or saltier foods.
Keeping our aging parents healthy is important to prevent illness and to be able to live a fuller life. Unfortunately, as we age, our bodies and habits may change that prevent us from getting the sleep and the nutrition our bodies need. By being alert and finding ways to help, naturally, we can help eliminate or reduce problems.

(As with all health products and making any changes to your usual health care regiment, check with your doctor first. Natural supplement products and statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. The provided information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.)