The sudden transition from the winter season to spring can impact your elderly parent’s health. From cold temperatures to now warmer weather, older adults can find it challenging to keep up with the change in climate, increase in social activities, and many more. Due to this transition, they would tend to experience issues, such as being prone to fatigue during the daytime, change in appetite, loss of concentration, to name a few. All these problems come down to one main cause, and that’s a lack of quality sleep. Therefore, in order to make sure your elderly parents are kept healthy during the spring season, here are some ways to manage their health in spring.
Encourage Them to Take a Walk
Walking, in general, is an extremely effective method to raise the heart rate and allow the body to work up a sweat. As walking can be performed pretty much by everyone, even those who aren’t as physically capable, this activity is a light exercise that’s inclusive and easy to carry out. Your loved ones don’t even have to use any equipment in order to take a walk outside. Once the weather is nice and comfortable, you can encourage your elderly parents or accompany them on a walk by bringing them to nearby parks and hiking trails. Take this opportunity to take a walk while admiring the beautiful scenery and connecting with nature.
Sign Them Up for Fitness Classes
Leading an active lifestyle has always been recommended by medical professionals as a way to promote better sleep patterns. This is because exercising helps to boost the production of melatonin in our bodies, which is basically the hormone that puts us to sleep. Just in case you do not know, melatonin is naturally produced when our bodies are exposed to darkness, thus we have a tendency to fall asleep faster in the dark. If your elderly parents aren’t physically strong, you can sign them up for low-impact sports, such as Tai Chi, yoga, and pilates. Do make sure that these fitness classes are tailored to older adults and overseen by fitness professionals. Besides promoting better quality sleep, exercising also increases the production of endorphins, which makes us feel happier and more satisfied.
Soak Up Vitamin D
Whether it’s encouraging them to take a walk or attend a fitness class, your elderly parents should always take a proactive approach to head out of the house and soak up the sun. For elderly parents living with dementia and other forms of memory-loss related conditions, it would be much safer if you accompanied them outdoors. By getting outside, your loved ones would be exposed to sunlight, which boosts the production of vitamin D in our bodies. Vitamin D not only maintains and improves bone strength but also promotes positive mental health.
Remind Them to Drink Water
As we grow older, our ability to notice dehydration decreases. This can be particularly detrimental as this means that your elderly parents are at a higher risk of getting dehydrated, especially if they’re out in the sun for long periods of time. To make sure they’re sufficiently hydrated, you should constantly remind them to drink at least eight cups of water each day. Beverages like coffee, sodas, and other overly sweet drinks should be avoided.
