Five Ways to Manage Fatigue in Your Aging Adult

Fatigue is an extremely common problem for aging adults and can cause your elderly family member to experience a seriously diminished quality of life. Battling fatigue is not always easy, but it is possible.

Senior Care in Skokie IL: Managing Fatigue

Senior Care in Skokie IL: Managing Fatigue

Encourage Her to Eat Breakfast.

Lots of people avoid eating breakfast. Some avoid it because they just don’t like eating breakfast, but your aging adult might avoid breakfast for other reasons. It can be exhausting just thinking about breakfast, for instance. Or your elderly family member might not know what to eat. One way you can help to encourage her to eat breakfast is to hire senior care providers to make some breakfasts ahead of time that your aging adult can just grab and eat.

Help Her to Exercise Regularly.

Regular exercise seems like something that would make fatigue worse. What happens, though, is that exercise helps to strengthen your senior’s muscles and entire body. Your elderly family member will also tend to sleep a little bit better when she’s exercising regularly. You should talk with her doctor about smart exercise for her before starting a new exercise routine.

She Should Rest When She Needs It.

If your elderly family member tries to keep going, all day long, she might find that she’s experiencing fatigue more often. When it makes sense to rest, rest is likely what your senior needs the most. Where you want to be careful is in the amount of rest your senior is getting. Taking long naps can interfere with regular sleep patterns, which you definitely want to avoid whenever possible.

Hydration Matters.

Proper hydration is imperative for your senior for many reasons, but you might not realize that dehydration can contribute to fatigue. Talk to your senior’s doctor about how much water she should ideally be drinking every day. If your elderly family member doesn’t enjoy drinking water, other sources of hydration could include fruits and vegetables that are high in water content and herbal teas.

Stress Makes Fatigue Worse.

Stress is problematic for so many reasons, but in terms of fatigue, stress can make the issue so much worse. Your senior might be experiencing stress because of health issues, because it’s difficult to age in place on her own, or for any number of other reasons. Finding solutions to your senior’s stress situation can help you to reduce her stress levels.

When you do what you can to rid your senior of fatigue, she’s at least got a fighting chance. Some of these tips might help your senior more than others, so it pays to try more than one or two of them for best results.

If you or an aging loved one are considering senior care in Skokie, IL, contact the caring staff at Companion Services of America today at (847) 943-3786. Our home care service area includes Northbrook, Highland Park, Deerfield, Glenview, Buffalo Grove, Evanston, Des Plaines, Skokie, Lake Forest, Wilmette and the surrounding areas.

Jamie Shapiro