How Seniors in Santa Cruz and Monterey Counties Can Maintain Good Bone Health
Our home care specialists help seniors in Scotts Valley, Marina, Santa Cruz and the surrounding areas in the Central Coast area of California eat right and exercise so they can maintain good bone health. Here’s how we can help your loved one.
With aging, our bones tend to lose their mineral density. In older adults, this loss of bone tissue often progresses into osteoporosis, a condition characterized by rapid bone deterioration and reduced bone density.
Fall-related fractures present a major health risk associated with osteoporosis, which can lead to a diminished quality of life and ultimately loss of independence.
However, with certain lifestyle changes, both osteoporosis and falls can be prevented. At Visiting Angels Central Coast, our home care specialists can encourage your loved one to develop healthy habits in order to maintain strong bones. Our client-centered approach to senior care makes us one of the leading agencies for families in Marina, Scotts Valley, Santa Cruz and surrounding communities throughout Monterey and Santa Cruz Counties in California.
Nutritious Diet
Just by eating a healthy, nutritious diet, your loved one can significantly improve their overall health and prevent the likelihood of various chronic conditions, including osteoporosis. For maintaining good bone health, it is important that your parent gets high amounts of calcium and vitamin D every day. Adults over the age of 60 should consume 1,2000 mg of calcium and up to 1,000 IU of vitamin D on a daily basis.
If your loved one needs help with getting enough calcium and vitamin D, Visiting Angels Central Coast can help. Our home care specialists can plan and prepare delicious and nutritious meals and help your loved one remember to take supplements.
Calcium
The human skeleton stores 99 percent of our body’s calcium, meaning that the deficiency or sufficiency of this mineral greatly determines one’s quality of bone tissue. Calcium can also be traced in the bloodstream and when calcium levels in the blood are low, the body relocates calcium from the bones to the blood, thus reducing mineral bone density. This is how the onset of osteoporosis is often induced.
Deficiency of calcium can be mended with many calcium-rich foods, including:
- Milk, cheese, yogurt, and other types of dairy
- Green vegetables, such as broccoli and kale
- Canned fish
- Fruits, especially oranges, peaches, and figs
- Nuts
- Calcium-fortified foods
For seniors allergic to calcium-rich foods and those on a strict diet, dietary supplements can provide the nutrition they need.
Vitamin D
Another component hugely significant to maintaining good bone health is vitamin D. This vitamin helps increase calcium absorption from foods and promotes the mineralization of bone tissue. Your loved one can reduce the risk of fractures by up to 20 percent by getting sufficient amounts of vitamin D.
Vitamin D is commonly absorbed through exposure to sunlight, supplement intake, and through following a nutritious diet. Some foods abundant in vitamin D are:
- Sardines, tuna, and mackerel
- Cod liver oil
- Margarine, flakes, yogurt, and other vitamin D fortified foods.
Exercise
A senior-friendly exercise can also help Mom or Dad improve their bone health. With a low-impact regimen, your loved one can expect to improve balance and flexibility, increase strength, and slow down bone deterioration.
Common exercise regimens that help reduce osteoporosis include:
- Weightlifting
- Dancing
- Aerobics
- Tai chi
- Racquet sports
Our home care specialists can help your loved one get to the gym, community center or other local places where they can get exercise. If they prefer to exercise at home, we can provide meaningful companionship and monitoring so your loved one is safe and has a caring presence with them.
At Visiting Angels Central Coast, we can support physician-prescribed diets and exercise regimens to help your mom or dad improve their bone health.
Call our Scotts Valley, CA office today and learn how our home care specialists can help.