Special Home Care Service Needs of Obese Seniors

With obesity rates rising in the United States, the challenge of caring for an obese loved one is becoming a reality for many of us. Here are some of the challenges family members face in caring for a significantly overweight senior at home.

Keep Seniors Mobile

An obese family member often requires help with basic movement, including standing, sitting, and moving around. When an overweight person ages, his muscle mass that carries the extra weight decreases, and he can consequently become sedentary. Family members often struggle to move obese loved ones and to encourage them to be mobile themselves.

While challenging, however, mobility is critical, because lack of movement can result in an array of medical problems such as pneumonia, gastrointestinal issues, respiratory and circulatory complications, skin atrophy and tears, pressure ulcers, and overall sense of wellbeing.

Prevent Seniors From Falls

Seniors who are obese can be at higher risk of falls. Every year millions of people fall, many of which happen in and around the home. Several of these falls also result in moderate to severe injury, including lacerations, hip fractures, and head trauma. Seniors who fall can also develop a fear of falling, which results in decreased mobility, which in turns increases fall risk and creates a cycle.

The regular annual visit to your loved one’s physician is an excellent opportunity to ask about and evaluate fall risk. Doctors have assessment guides to determine fall risk in their patients, and there are also materials to assist family and home health aides in assessing a home for fall hazards.

Hygiene and Personal Care for Seniors

Seniors who are obese are at higher risk for skin changes and problems. Skin folds that form with obesity can lead to heat rash, bacteria formation, and other complications. Substantial body fat can cause skin tears and pressure ulcers. These skin complications are crucial to avoid, given the danger of infection, the added cost of treatment, and their negative impact on your loved one’s quality of life. Therefore, maintaining personal hygiene that avoids these skin complications is a critical element of care for your obese loved one.

Avoid Caregiver Injury

Caregivers are at risk of injuring themselves while assisting overweight loved ones. Through research, guidelines, recommendations, and protocols have been put in place to help professional caregivers care for overweight patients. However, there are no such guidelines for family members who provide a similar level of care at home. Assisting with basic tasks such as standing/sitting, bathing, dressing, walking, helping with skin care needs, and even preparing meals can be very taxing, and may risk injury to you. Improper lifting and moving of your obese loved one can result in an immediate back or neck injury, and over time, those actions of lifting and moving can also cause more slow-developing bone and muscle injuries. Ask a doctor or professional home caregiver how to properly assist in these tasks without increasing the risk of harm to yourself. You can’t be of help to your loved one if you injure yourself.

Managing Other Health Conditions

Type 2 diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, arthritis, sleep apnea, joint disease, and chronic respiratory and skin infections are just some of the major diseases and conditions that often accompany being obese. The complex management of these diseases and conditions can be challenging, as they each require treatment protocols and often include multiple medications, as well as equipment and device usage.

When caring for seniors with these health conditions, family caregivers may face challenges such as confusion in medication, insurance-related issues, equipment challenges, or just having quality communication with and among all doctors.

What you can do to help your loved one

Here are some things you can do to create a mobile-friendly environment for your loved one:

Developing and maintaining a daily routine. Develop a day-to-day structure for your loved one that includes mobility and physical activity and socialization. These activities can consist of his visiting with family, walking with family members, friends, or pets. Any routine exercise that involves movement to maintain activity and flexibility is good for him.
Addressing pain. Pain can impede mobility and can cause additional problems such as falls, poor sleep, and depression.
Oversight of medications. It’s critical that someone is responsible for making sure medicines are correct and that there is collaboration in this regard among all care providers. Timing for medications, possible side effects, and interactions are just some of the factors to discuss with either your loved one’s physician and home health care aide or nurse. Any time there is a change in medications, you should request a new review.

Fall prevention measures can differ depending on a person’s level of obesity, age, agility, and other general risk factors. Some home care agencies such as Visiting Angels provide professional help in both “fall-proofing” your loved one’s home and assessing their fall risk, but you can also make some simple changes that can decrease the risk of a fall. The CDC stresses the following four main points for fall prevention at home:

Encourage regular exercise. Activity is the best prevention, and exercise that improved balance and coordination is critical.
Have a healthcare provider review medications. As mentioned above, all prescriptions should be reviewed with a physician, including over-the-counter meds.
Have your loved one’s vision checked. Older adults should have their vision checked annually. A fall can be caused by something as simple as wearing old glasses or ones that do not fit well anymore.
Make a safe environment. Have the setting evaluated for ways to cut the risk of falls at your loved one’s home, which includes identification of fall hazards such as poor lighting, uneven steps, floor coverings, lack of railings and grab bars, furniture positioning, and floor surfaces.

Concerning hygiene and self-care, consider the following:

Encourage a regular step in the daily routine of cleaning with the use of soap and water and thorough drying of all skin
Do a proper assessment of skin, observing any problems such as skin breakdown or infection, and development of pressure ulcers
Provide cleansers, body odor products, and lotions that do not cause skin reactions
Have a regular assessment by a nurse or home care aide
Make sure there is adequate cooling in warmer climates and seasons
Make dressing an easier task. Sometimes for an obese loved one, the job of dressing is hard. Make sure clothes are large enough and have a style that requires less body movement. A loved one’s inability, for instance, to bend or raise his arms can compromise his ability to dress, so clothes that open up the front or back are helpful. Shoes should be lightweight, supportive, and properly fitted, with non-slip bottom surfaces, and likewise, socks with non-skid treads should be used for fall prevention.

How Home Care Services Can Help Obese Seniors

Depending on the need of the obese senior, professional home care providers can come in daily, weekly, or on an as-needed basis to provide hands-on support for the necessary activities listed in this article. The provider can also regularly examine your loved one and his environment to assess the following:

New health concerns
Treatment for existing health conditions
Hygiene protocol changes or improvements
Skin conditions
Level and quality of mobility
Fall prevention
The need for and proper use of home medical equipment, including lift and transfer or other assistive devices, handrails, raised toilets, shower seats, improved lighting fixtures, lower beds and chairs of various heights and dimensions

The challenges family members face in caring for an obese loved one at home can be overwhelming. However, there are ways to address and manage these complex medical and personal needs, and support is available for each aspect of home care discussed here. It is crucial to determine what you can do, what your loved one can do, and what you may need additional support to do for your aging loved one to live a happy, healthy life at home.

About Visiting Angels Newton/Canton:

Visiting Angels Newton/Canton MA is an award-winning local home care agency providing high caliber in-home care services to the elderly and people with disabilities. Countless families have benefited from our Alzheimer's care, dementia home care services, companion care, senior care, respite support, transitional aid, and elder home care services in Natick, Wellesley, Needham, Dedham, Brookline, Watertown, Canton, Stoughton, Newton, Chestnut Hill, Roslindale, Westwood, Norwood and nearby towns . While non-medical in nature, the care provided by Visiting Angels Newton/Canton can make a significant impact on your loved one's happiness and quality of life. Call us at 617-795-2727 to schedule a free in-home consultation!

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