Regardless of whether your aging loved one requires a personal care service, it’s important to encourage them to maintain healthy habits. By following some simple but powerful steps, they can increase their defenses against the effects of aging. Here are three signs of increasing age and how to delay them naturally. 

Healthy Habits for Growing Older

1. Increasing Stamina

As your loved one’s body resists aging, some of its functions are compromised, so their metabolism, strength, and stamina are reduced or slowed. The result is that they gain weight and become prone to other issues, like diabetes or incontinence. Fight this by helping them focus on the following priorities: 

• Eat non-starchy vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and lean meats. If cooking at home is difficult, a personal care service can help.  

• Avoid tobacco, carbonation, caffeine, and excess alcohol.  

• Get daily exercise, whether it’s walking, jogging, dancing, swimming, training with weights, or playing a sport that they love.  

• Consistently sleep at least eight hours a day. 

• Go to the bathroom right when they feel the urge rather than forcing themselves to wait. Delaying this can risking infection or other problems. 

2. Keeping a Clear Mind

Your loved one’s memory, response time, and overall mental sharpness will decline as their mind gets tired. Their mental health is best promoted when they keep their mind active.

Encourage them to learn new hobbies or continuing developing ones that they already love. Supply them with plenty of books to read in their spare time. Plan gatherings where they can socialize with friends and family members. Help them find a club or organization that interests them and will let them volunteer their time. 

3. Paying Attention to Personal Health 

It’s not unusual for a senior to struggle with their eyesight, hearing, oral health, joint pain, muscle pain, and diseases like arthritis or osteoporosis as they grow older. To prevent these issues or at least soften their impact, help your loved one establish a routine. They should brush for two minutes twice daily, followed by flossing. To be thorough, finish with some antimicrobial mouthwash.

Make sure they schedule visits with a primary care physician, optometrist, audiologist, and dentist at least twice a year for checkups. The doctors will be able to inform them of any problems that they may not notice or treat any urgent issues that come up. A personal care service can aid them with any medications or treatments prescribed to them. 

For a compassionate and expert personal care service that can help your loved one age with health, grace, and dignity, contact COMPASS Homecare in Anchorage, AK. Specializing in adult in-home care, they’ll assess your loved one’s specific needs and offer personalized aid. Whether the caretaker  cooks, cleans, looks after pets, or keeps track of your loved one’s medications and treatments, your family member is guaranteed to receive the highest quality senior care. To learn more or talk to a potential caregiver, call them today at (907) 276-6960. Visit them online to learn more about their services.