Kidneys are responsible for various aspects of your loved one’s day-to-day life such as waste removal, blood pressure control, and more. Thus, it goes without saying that kidney health is vital to overall health. However, it can be a challenge because people over 60 years old are very likely to develop kidney disease. To improve kidney function in your elderly loved one, read on to learn our recommended tips!
Hydration is Key
Fluid intake is vital to maintaining kidney function, especially in the later stages of your loved one’s life. This is because water encourages the kidneys to remove waste from your body through urine. On the other hand, dehydration makes it harder for waste to be cleared from someone’s body. Hence, it interrupts the body’s system of waste removal.
Furthermore, dehydration contributes to the formation of risk factors for kidney diseases such as kidney stones and urinary tract infections(UTIs). To prevent kidney failure in your loved ones, ensure that they are drinking water regularly.
Watch Their Diet
Another great way to encourage kidney health is a well-balanced and nutritious diet. By being involved in your elderly loved one’s eating habits through meal planning or grocery shopping together, you can encourage them to improve their diet.
This not only includes incorporating healthy foods into your loved one’s diet but also exercising the responsibility to set limits on unhealthy foods that should be avoided. If possible, do try to work at least five portions of fruits and vegetables into their diet. Additionally, you can set a limit on overly sugary and fatty snacks from their daily food intake.
Encouraging Positive Lifestyle Changes
While you may know that smoking and drinking alcohol are bad for the lungs and liver respectively, the truth is that they affect renal health as well. Both tobacco and alcohol can interfere with kidney function, such as slowing blood flow to the kidney or causing added burden to the kidneys.
Hence, a great step to helping your loved one in retaining kidney and overall health would be encouraging them to minimize or go cold turkey on smoking and drinking. Although quitting such activities is easier said than done, cutting these harmful substances out of your elderly loved one’s life will go a long way to preserving or improving their overall health.
Seek Professional Advice
Are you having trouble with keeping your loved one’s diet consistent? Is your loved one having trouble keeping to their restrictions on smoking or drinking? You may want to seek the advice of the relevant authorities if there is a serious point for concern about your elderly loved one’s kidney health. Dieticians, doctors, and counselors can be a great aid if you are finding difficulties with being a sole caretaker.
Need an Extra Helping Hand?
Unfortunately, being a sole caretaker of an elderly loved one with kidney concerns can mean your own life takes a backseat. If so, consider having your loved one join a retirement community. TerraBella Summerville would be happy to offer you the appropriate senior living options for your aging loved one.
