Osteoporosis as You Age
Did you know that over 44 million Americans are at serious risk for developing Osteoporosis? Even though women are four times more likely to develop the disease than men, every senior needs to understand the symptoms and treatment methods to properly guard against declining bone health.
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What is Osteoporosis?
Osteoporosis is a disease that causes accelerated loss of bone mass and reduction in bone quality. If not treated, this disease will progress painlessly until a bone breaks, usually in the hip, spine or wrist. Complications from osteoporosis can lead to compression fractures of the spine, disability caused by severely weakened bones and loss of the ability to walk due to hip fractures. Those at high-risk include older individuals, women, Caucasians or
Asians, and individuals with a low calcium diet.
How Can I Prevent Osteoporosis?
According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation, there are four main steps for 0steoporosis prevention.
1. Take in a Calcium & Vitamin D-Rich Diet
2. Engage in Regular, Weight-Bearing Exercise
3. Avoid Smoking & Excess Alcohol
4. Undergo a Bone Density Test
It is important to talk with your health care provider about which of these steps are right for you, and to what degree you should engage in these preventative measures. In some cases, a health care provider may prescribe certain medications for the prevention and/or treatment of osteoporosis.
How Can We Help?
At Preferred Care at Home, our reliable and compassionate caregivers can come alongside those with Osteoporosis and help implement preventative measures. We can provide light house-keeping, making sure that walkways are always clear of objects that might lead to falls and subsequent bone fractures. In addition, we can assist you with an exercise program and help with meal preparation, ensuring that your diet contains calcium and vitamin D.
If you would like to find out more about how our reliable, compassionate and affordable caregivers can come alongside those with Osteoporosis, contact an office near you.
