How Do the Senses Change as Your Parents Get Older?

Some of the common thoughts of aging are that you get arthritis, which impacts mobility. You might think of aging as making it harder to sleep through the night for one reason or another. The senses are one of the biggest changes that occur with aging that aren’t always considered.

Risks of Losing the Senses

Home Care Manhattan Beach CA – How Do the Senses Change as Your Parents Get Older?

Smell, touch, taste, sight, and sound are the five main senses. All of them provide important information about the world around you. Smell helps increase your hunger response, which prompts you to want to eat. Taste helps you decide something is good, which keeps you eating.

When your senses diminish as you age, it impacts your world. If you can’t smell dinner cooking, how will you smell if there’s a fire starting? How will you be hungry if nothing smells pleasing?

If you can’t hear the phone ring, a fire alarm going off, or a knock at the door, how will you be able to take action? If you can’t see where you’re going, you cannot safely drive!

These are all important considerations. A fire in a Hawaiian apartment building led to dozens of injuries among the building’s elderly residents. Several residents told officials they never heard the alarms and didn’t know there was a fire until they saw smoke entering their apartments. If your parents are hard of hearing, flashing visual smoke alarms are necessary.

What Can You Do to Help?

Some cases of loss of taste and smell are linked to personal habits. If your mom or dad is a smoker, stopping this habit may help restore a portion of their ability. It will make food more palatable and help with nutrition.

If loss of taste or smell is making your parents eat less or stick to unhealthy options, start making smoothies that are packed with nutrients they need. It may not be the best option, but a protein shake made with protein powder, skim milk, fresh blueberries, and spinach is better than nothing.

Visionary changes often put an end to driving. It’s not an easy conversation to have with your mom and dad, but it’s essential. If they can’t see where they’re going, they shouldn’t be driving. They need to hand over the keys and let others take over.

When vision impacts your parents’ daily abilities, make sure they have the support of a caregiver. Home care is essential and can help with transportation, safety, companionship, and housekeeping. Call our home care agency to schedule the services that will most help.

Sources:  https://apnews.com/99a4a7232082432cb73a319f7ff233cc

If you or an aging loved one are considering Home Care Services in Manhattan Beach CA, please contact the caring staff at 1Heart Care Services today.