Senior Care in Plano, TX – Watch for these Symptoms of a Vitamin D Deficiency in Your Elderly Loved One

Vitamin D deficiency is very common in senior citizens, and it is a serious health risk you need to be aware of. Here are just a few of the warning signs that your loved one is suffering from this condition.

Muscle Weakness

In senior citizens, there is a very strong link between a lack of vitamin D and weak muscles. Many seniors do not get out in the direct sunlight as much as they once did, and less than optimal intestine absorption is another factor. Symptoms include heaviness in the legs, difficulty standing, and trouble climbing stairs. Make sure your senior has vitamin D supplements on hand to compensate for these factors.

Mood Changes

Vitamin D is also a hormone. After it is absorbed through the skin, it is them rerouted to the kidneys and liver. In the liver and kidneys, vitamin D is converted to a hormone where it helps in keeping bones, muscles, and teeth in excellent condition. It has also been shown to activate genes that affect brain function. Seniors who often complain of being tired and depressed are suffering from a lack of vitamin D.

Weight Gain

Vitamin D in tandem with a hormone called leptin have a role in regulating body weight. Leptin is made in the fat cells of your body and signals the brain when you’re full of food, so you will stop eating. Vitamin D has a vital role in controlling leptin levels in the body, ensuring that the correct signals are sent to the brain. When there is a vitamin D deficiency, signals can be mixed and/or disrupted, and the end result is the body may not know when to stop eating, resulting in weight gain.

Stomach Problems

Vitamin D deficiency is a contributing factor to inflammatory bowel disease. This is a serious and chronic disease that can cause swelling and irritation in the digestive tracts. One of the symptoms is stomach problems such as indigestion and stomach aches.

Fatigue

Seniors with stiff joints and a general feeling of fatigue often have a vitamin D deficiency. An increase in time spent outside in the sun, or an increase in milk products can help solve these symptoms. Other signs of a vitamin D deficiency can include pain in the legs and difficulty in movement.

Vitamin D is critical to good health in seniors, and their bodies need it to function in a proper manner. See that your senior gets some sunlight, especially in the morning hours to start their day. It can not only boost their moods, but it helps them to have stronger bones and healthy digestive tracts. Make certain you know these signs of vitamin D deficiency, and if you have home care services,  work with your senior’s caregiver to watch for signs and make changes if necessary.

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If you or an aging loved one are considering senior care in Plano, TX and the surrounding areas, contact Approved Home Care at 972-658-4001 today.

We enjoyed meeting with the professional staff of social workers and case managers of Healthsouth Rehabilitation in Plano, Texas this past week. Healthsouth Rehabilitation Hospital has received the prestigious certification by The Joint Commissions national standards for healthcare safety and quality of care.   This accredited state of the art rehabilitation hospital has 83 beds that provide exceptional comprehensive care for your family.  They treat stroke, brain injury, arthritis, and multiple traumas by providing a higher level of patient care.

Approved Home Care sponsored a lunch in learn providing a wonderful catered applewood smoked brisket for the well attended event of social workers and case managers. We also invited the marketer from  The Edgemere to be a part of this luncheon at Houthsouth rehabilitation of Plano.  Edgemere of Dallas provided a fruit tray, vegetable tray, and a delicious apple crumb cake for the staff to enjoy as they learned more about our unique approach to at home care and healing.

Zack McConnell and John Bolin of Approved in Home Care explained our dual discharge program to the staff of Healthsouth, serving seniors and the elderly in Plano, Dallas, Richardson, Allen, Farmers Branch, Carrollton, and Frisco. Our unique program helps seniors recovering from a hospital stay, continue healing at home and avoiding entering back into the hospital over a short period of time.

Our dual discharge program also helps seniors transition out of the facility and back at home safely. We can come to the facility and help pack up the senior’s room, clean your home upon arrival, pick up prescriptions, make meals, help with daily bathing, and take the senior to follow up doctor appointments.  Our customized services frees time for the children to enjoy conversation with their loved one, in a relaxed environment, and not having to complete a to-do list upon arrival to visit parents once back at home. Our qualified caregivers are Nurses Aids and CNA’s with many year of experience. We are licensed, insured, and bonded, and our caregivers are on our payroll, so we take on the risk associated with having someone in your home.

Approved in Home Care also coordinates with the home health to help the patient continue working on daily rehabilitation exercises with our experienced in home caregiver. This improves the healing process considerably since many times when the elderly are unattended, they forget to do the home exercises taught them by the physical therapist  or occupational therapist. Our caregiver reminds the healing patient that it is the scheduled time to complete the daily prescribed exercises and mobility is improved by following through with the added exercise. Many of our patients are fall risks, stroke recovery, Parkinson’s patients, or some suffer from dementia or Alzheimer’s as well. We offer a specialized program that guards against falls for the elderly, along with a stoke recovery program.

If you are concerned with life after rehab for your loved one, please call us at (972) 658-4001 and we are happy to come out and meet you in person and answer any concerns.  We ask questions to help determine the best personality match for your parent, and our caregiver will provide added security for healing at home in a comfortable atmosphere. Our job is to reduce stress, and our clients love our services. Give us a call, we are ready to help you today.