Osteoporosis is a disease that weakens bones, increasing the risk of unexpectedly breaking or fracturing from minor falls or mild stresses like bending, stretching, or coughing. It is painless and doesn't exhibit any signs or symptoms when it starts developing.
In fact, seniors may not even know they have osteoporosis until the weakened bones unexpectedly fracture or break. Osteoporosis-related fractures often occur in the spine, hip, or wrist.
The risk of developing or worsening osteoporosis increases with age, but avoiding the ten daily habits below minimizes it.
1. Poor Diet
Excessive dieting or eating a poor diet low in calcium, protein, magnesium, vitamin K, etc., weakens bones. If your senior loved one can't balance their diet, give them supplements to compensate for the lack of vital minerals, or you risk bone loss, which causes osteoporosis.
2. Medication
Long-term use of some medications for conditions like cancer, seizures, asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, depression, anxiety, type II diabetes, etc. The medication may have side effects that damage bones, worsening or causing osteoporosis. A healthcare provider can help understand the effects of each medication.
3. Weight Loss
Too much weight loss can also harm bones. Seniors with body mass indexes less than 18.5 are at risk of developing osteoporosis.
4. Inactivity
Prolonged periods of inactivity, such as sitting at a desk all day, coupled with low levels of physical activity, increase the risk of osteoporosis. However, simple exercises like walking or strength training can reduce the risk of osteoporosis.
5. Spending Too Much Time Indoors
Staying all day indoors also deprives your aging loved one of Vitamin D, which they need to improve calcium absorption. Vitamin D deficiency can cause osteoporosis. Adults under 50 need 400 to 800 IU of vitamin D daily, and adults over 50 need 800 to 1,000 IU. A healthcare provider can also advise on sunlight needs depending on where your senior loved one lives.
6. High Protein Diet
Eating diets high in acid-ash protein can weaken bone by causing calcium loss due to its acidic nature.
7. High Salt Intake
High salt intake can lower calcium levels, as high sodium levels increase urinary calcium excretion.
8. Drinking Too Much Caffeine
Drinking too much coffee and caffeine-containing beverages increases bone loss. Coffee increases the amount of calcium lost in the urine and reduces calcium absorption in the intestines. But this won't have any effect if they drink a maximum of four to five cups daily.
9. Excessive Alcohol Consumption
Excessive consumption of alcohol regularly increases the risk of osteoporosis by lowering bone density, weakening bones' mechanical properties, as well as causing metabolism issues.
10. Smoking
Tobacco smoking may lead to bone loss and an increased risk of osteoporosis. In fact, even second-hand smoke has the same effect. It is even riskier if the senior has a low weight, eats a poor diet, and engages in low or no physical activity. Quitting can help.
Consider In-Home Senior Care for Your Loved One
Though there is no way to prevent osteoporosis completely, several daily habits can increase the risk of developing it. In fact, knowing these habits will allow you to take a proactive approach by improving your senior loved one's bone health to prevent or recover from osteoporosis.
Osteoporosis is a "silent" condition, so many seniors in Minneapolis never know they have it until a minor incident or movement breaks or fractures a bone. Take a proactive approach by having your senior loved one undergo a screening to determine their bone density and whether they are at risk or it is already developing.
If you or someone you know are looking for a professional caregiver for an elderly loved one, Senior Helpers can help you. We offer various in-home care services to support aging in place throughout South Minneapolis and surrounding areas of Saint Paul, Minnetonka, and Hennepin County. Our services range from wellness watch, companion care, as well as Alzheimer's and dementia care.
Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you care for a senior loved one.