Does Your Senior Have Low Energy Levels?

By Shanele Healy | February 1, 2021 |

If your elderly family member’s energy levels are low, she might feel sluggish and not want to do much of anything. This can then become a cyclical problem.

Find Ways to Build Muscle

Home Care Waxhaw, NC: Low Energy Levels

Aging adults tend to lose muscle mass easily, and muscles are where most of her mitochondria live. These are energy powerhouses in her cells that help to give her the energy to keep doing what she loves to do. Talk with your senior’s doctor before starting even a simple exercise plan, and then slowly get started.

Encourage Her to Hydrate

Hydration is an often-overlooked solution to energy issues. Start tracking how much your senior is drinking each day and ask her doctor how much she should be drinking. The amount of water in between those amounts is how much she needs to gradually start drinking more of each day.

Find a Nutritious Diet that She Enjoys

Beyond hydration, your senior needs to be eating foods that are high in nutritional value, too. But sometimes the foods that she likes the best aren’t exactly the most nutritious choices. It might be possible to modify some of those dishes to add nutrients, like swapping out half of the noodles for cauliflower in her favorite macaroni and cheese dish, for instance. Talk with her doctor about the best foods for your senior to start eating and then gradually implement those changes.

Help Her to Find Hobbies that Excite Her Mind and Her Heart

Hobbies are more important to energy levels than you might think because of how they add that little zing to life. Most people engage in hobbies because they’re interesting, fun, and they make their brain work. That’s something your senior might be missing out on, so it might be a good idea to explore some hobbies together.

Look into Solving Sleep Issues

Sleep is vital to energy and to health, even if your elderly family member thinks that she sleeps just fine. It’s important to look at sleep hygiene, and whether your elderly family member is sticking to a regular sleep schedule or not. If she’s napping a lot late in the afternoon, for instance, that can wreak havoc on her sleep schedule. Adjusting her sleeping habits even a little bit can have a big impact on how she feels.

Home care providers can help your elderly family member with these and other ideas for upping her overall energy levels. Talk to your senior about what tasks are becoming more difficult for her, because home care services can free up her time and her energy.

If you or an aging loved one are considering home care in Waxhaw, NC, please call the professional staff at Caring at Heart today at (704) 379-7510. Serving Charlotte, Statesville, Ballantyne, Mooresville, Huntersville, Matthews, Concord, Gastonia, Pineville and Indian Trail

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Shanele Healy

Owner at Caring at Heart

Caring for others has always been a passion for the owner. She joined the healthcare field while still in high school believing that every health provider had the same intentions at heart. While working as a nurse assistant,Gloria quickly realized that those whom needed us most were being neglected and not receiving the best quality of care they deserved.
Knowing in her heart that families deserved better, she started Caring At Heart in 2008 with two key goals in mind: To provide clients and their families with an experience that was personable, easy, and reassuring and to create a working environment that employees were excited and proud to be a part of.