Calcium, Vitamin D and Bone Health

Bone health is important throughout life, but it is especially important for elderly individuals. Sadly, falls become more commonplace as we age, and weak bones increase the likelihood that breaks and fractures will occur. There are two components to bone health: calcium and vitamin D consumption.

Adequate calcium consumption throughout your lifetime will help to contribute to good bone health. Calcium is a necessary mineral that helps to build bones. According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation, 99% of our calcium is located in our bones and our teeth. You can get calcium by from a nutritious diet or by taking supplements. Increased calcium intake will help to reduce bone density loss, and numerous studies have shown that low calcium intake can lead to osteoporosis and low bone density. Additionally, calcium is needed to help other systems in our body work, like our muscular and nervous system. The reason calcium intake is important is because when we do not consume enough calcium, our body will take necessary calcium from our bones, which is where it is stored. According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation, women under age 50 should consume 1,000 mg daily and women over 51 should consume 1,200 mg daily. Men age 70 and younger should consume 1,000 mg daily, and men over the age of 71 should consume 1,200 mg daily. That being said, there is one other vitamin that calcium consumption is dependent upon.

Vitamin D is this vitamin, and it is crucial for calcium intake. Why? Vitamin D is allows for and enhances the absorption of calcium from food, sunlight and supplements in the intestines. You can get a substantial amount of your vitamin D from various foods. If you’re looking to increase your intake of vitamin D, increase your intake of fatty fish, fortified cereals, fortified dairy products, and increase your intake of green leafy vegetables. In addition to eating a healthy, balanced diet, be sure to spend some time outside in the sun. You can absorb vitamin D while outside! Your body synthesizes UV rays into vitamin D! That being said, do not spend too much time outside without sun screen or else you’ll run the risk of getting a sun burn. However you get your vitamin D, be sure to make sure you are getting enough because it prevents bone density loss by allowing for the absorption of calcium.

For more information on Vitamin D and bone health, visit the follow websites:

National Institutes of Health: Vitamin D

National Institutes of Health: Calcium

Tips for Medication Compliance in the Elderly

In our last post we discussed a lot of the issues surrounding medication compliance in the elderly.

Here are some tips that we’ve been together for medication compliance.

Educate yourself and your elderly loved one:

·         Ask your doctor why your elderly loved one should be taking this medication.
·         Ask for the name of the drug and ask what the active ingredient is, and ask how it works in the body.
·         Discuss other medication options. Is this the only medication that they need? Is there a supplement that could help to mitigate some of the side effects or even the symptoms?
·         What are the side effects of this medication?
·         Does it interact with any other drugs?
·         Does it need to be taken on an empty stomach? Does it need to be taken with a full glass of water?
·         What time of day would be best to take this medication? What do most other patients do?
·         Should your elderly loved one be taking the generic form or should the prescription be written for the name-brand?
·         Bring a list of other medications to your doctor, and have them check that the drug will not interact with any other drugs on the list.

Tips for taking the medication: 

·         Write down the instructions from the physician and make that into a list. Hang this list somewhere in the house, close to your medications. You can hang it on the inside of the medicine cabinet, or hang it in the kitchen.
·         Organize all of the medications into a pill box. This will help your elderly loved one remember what day to take the medication and how much to take.
·         Encourage your elderly loved one to take his/her medications at the same time of the day each day. This will help them to create a routine.

Lastly, if these tips aren’t helping then seek assistance from your physician. Tell them the issues that you and your loved one are having, and together you can create a plan for effective medication compliance.

Here are some other websites to visit:

NIH Senior Health: Taking Medicines Safely

FDA: Medicines and You: A Guide for Older Adults

American Heart Association: Quick Tips for Taking Medications