How to Help Your Elderly Loved One Deal with Constipation

Constipation isn’t fun for anyone to deal with, especially your elderly loved one. If she’s having issues with her bowels, your loved one might stop eating altogether, which does no one any good. Here are some ideas for what to do if your elderly loved one is battling constipation.

Talk to Your Loved One’s Doctor 

Talking to your loved one’s doctor can help you to determine if there’s a medical cause for your elderly loved one’s bouts with constipation. If that’s the case, her doctor can recommend treatments that might help with the underlying cause. Your loved one’s doctor may also be able to spot interactions between medications that could be causing her to have more frequent constipation. He may want to adjust her medications or he might have other suggestions to treat the situation.

Serve Lots of Fresh Fruit and Vegetables 

Fruits and vegetables are full of natural fiber and other nutrients that can help your elderly loved one’s body to deal with constipation. If she’s not eating many fruits and vegetables now, try gradually increasing her intake of both. You may want to get specific recommendations from her doctor to correlate with her current health and medical conditions.

Up Your Loved One’s Water Intake 

Another common culprit behind constipation can be inadequate water intake. Your elderly loved one may be having several drinks throughout the day, but if those drinks contain caffeine, she’s not getting enough water. Unsweetened fruit juices and herbal teas can help to boost water intake, but nothing is as good as pure water. Try helping your loved one drink more water by offering her water more often or keeping a full water bottle near her every day.

Add Exercise to Your Loved One’s Daily Routine 

If your elderly loved one isn’t exercising much, that could be part of the problem. Work with your loved one’s doctor to determine what type of exercise and how much is going to be the right mix for her. Then start gradually adding a little more exercise to your loved one’s routine each day.

When you’re adjusting your loved one’s diet, lifestyle, and exercise routine, make sure to let her elder care providers know so that they can help you make these changes more effectively.

If you or an aging loved one are considering Elderly Care in  Wilton CT, please contact the caring staff at Fairfield Family Care today.