Research has discovered that as we age, our diets and our need for dietary supplements change.  Doctors are increasingly concerned about boosting the levels of vitamins and minerals that we need as we grow older.

As most people get older, they tend to eat less due to a loss of appetite.  As a result, many elderly individuals do not take in adequate amounts of vitamins and other nutrients as they did when they were younger.  Other factors that can affect appetite and the inadequate uptake of vital nutrients are medications, medical complications, certain disabilities, diabetes, changes in the digestive system and even the changes in our skin as we age.  One study estimates that one-third of the elderly are alarmingly low on important vitamins and minerals.  Another study indicates that two thirds of the elderly patients admitted to a hospital are mal-nourished, resulting in low levels of vital nutrients.  When a person is vitamin and mineral deficient, he or she is more susceptible to illness and infections.  It is estimated that deaths due to infections are ten times more likely in the elderly.

Vitamins
So what is a vitamin and why is it so essential to our bodies?  A vitamin is a molecule that our bodies needs to carry out certain biological functions.  With only a few exceptions, the body has no way to create vitamin molecules itself, so these vital building blocks must come in through food that we eat.  The human body is known to need at least 13 different vitamins.  We are able to store some of these for long periods of time in fat cells or in the liver — such as vitamin A — but most vitamins need to be replenished frequently.

Vitamins don’t supply us with energy.  We need protein, carbohydrates, and fats for that.  What vitamins do is to help the carbohydrates, fats, and proteins release energy.  These vital compounds are very important and they are required for all sorts of complex chemical reactions in our bodies.  Vitamins are also needed to assist the enzymes that repair tissue and help with the production of cells.  Many studies show that vitamins and minerals can help or prevent some of the disorders or diseases related to aging.

There are two types of vitamins — water soluble and fat soluble.  Water soluble vitamins are not stored in our bodies.  They pass through our bodies quickly.  In order to keep these nutrients in our bodies we have to consume them frequently.  Water soluble vitamins contribute to our health, energy and stamina.  This type of vitamin also helps in the function of over one hundred enzymes and chemical reactions that give our bodies energy.   Listed below are some of the well known water soluble vitamins and their benefits.

• Vitamin B5 – good for reducing swelling
• Vitamin B3 – reduces tissue swelling and helps increase blood flow.
• Vitamin B6 – also reduces swelling.  When combined with vitamin B12 in proper concentration has shown to reduce heart disease.
• Vitamin B12 – This is the most vital of the B’s.   It aids in the formation of cells, myelin production, healthy nerves, and maintaining immune system and mental function.
• Vitamin C – Vitamin C helps in the formation of cartilage and bone.  Some studies have shown it may reduce the progression of osteoarthritis.

Fat soluble vitamins are vitamins that stay in the body and are typically stored in the liver.  You can usually receive enough of these compounds by eating a well balanced diet.   Any condition that can interfere with the absorption of fat in the body like tuberculosis, cystic fibrosis, hypothyroidism, lactose intolerance, and many other diseases or disorders can cause deficiencies in these vitamins.  Before taking the daily recommended dose of fat soluble vitamins you must consult your doctor.  Overdosage of these substances can cause a toxic build-up in your body.  Listed below are the major fat soluble vitamins.

• Vitamin A – Lungs, throat and mouth depend on vitamin A to retain moisture.   This compound is also important for your skin, bones, teeth, digestive system, urinary tract, eyes and aids in preventing skin disorders like acne, boils, and bumpy skin.  Some studies show that it may aid in slowing the aging process.
• Vitamin K – plays an important role in the clotting of blood.  Research has linked vitamin K to bone health.
• Vitamin D – is produced in the skin by exposure to the sun.  Deficiencies mostly occur in people living in northern latitudes where daylight is brief during winter months.  Changes in skin as we age can also cause poor production of vitamin D.   Studies show that  osteoporosis might progress faster in women with low levels of vitamin D.  This compound is essential in helping the body absorb make that lowercase and maintaining strong bones.

Minerals
Unlike vitamins, minerals are not manufactured by plants or animals.  Minerals form in the earth, and are absorbed by plants and found in animals that eat the plants.  Listed below are some of the essential minerals needed to maintain a healthy body.

Iron – helps carry oxygen throughout the body.  Iron also helps the immune system ward off foreign entities.
Calcium – Most women as they get older need calcium supplements to prevent bone loss that causes osteoporosis.  Calcium supplements will not do you any good if you do not have the right levels of vitamin D.  your body cannot absorb calcium without vitamin D.
Zinc – Zinc deficiencies can affect skin, nerves, and the body’s immune system.

It is important that you take vitamin and mineral supplements with food.  Fat soluble vitamins require fat ingestion to result in the best absorption.  It is best to take your supplements at the biggest meal of the day.

We use vitamins every day to support the processes our bodies use to maintain life.  Ongoing reduced levels of vitamins can make you weak and more vulnerable to disease.  Proper nutrition with vitamins and minerals is vital for seniors to maintain a healthy lifestyle.  Other health issues related to aging are discussed on the National Care Planning Council website at www.longtermcarelink.net.

Martin V. Higgins,CFP,CLU,AEP AEP is a financial practitioner who specializes in helping people prepare financially for long term care.

Family Wealth Management is a professional firm providing customized financial planning and wealth management solutions to our clientele of pre-retirees, retirees, widows and small business owners.

We invite you to visit our website @ http://www.familywealthadvisory.com to learn how Family Wealth Management may be the right choice for you, your family or business.

At 83 years old, Martha still lived in her own home, and enjoyed working in her garden and canning peaches. It was becoming harder to motivate herself, to get up in the mornings and accomplish the day’s tasks. She confided to her daughter that she felt anxious and tired. Her daughter, who was taking medication for her anxiety, took Martha to her own doctor, not Martha’s and got her a prescription for Valium. In doing so, the daughter’s doctor, who had never seen Martha and who did not have her medical history, was only aware of a few medications they told him she was taking.

Martha, in fact, was taking 9 different medications as well as herbal supplements.

The addition of Valium to her existing list of prescribed drugs sent her to the emergency room with respiratory distress. If she had gone to her own doctor, he would have found that a dosage adjustment of her current medications would have solved her anxiety.

Medication errors are common in the elderly. Many seniors take on average 6- 8 different prescriptions as well as over the counter drugs. Many times the elderly will not go back to their doctor to have their dosage evaluated and changed if necessary. Family members should be aware, that elderly parents may tend to take the family’s advice over going to their own doctor. Even though children want to help increase the health and stamina of their parents, they may in fact be causing damage by misdirecting their loved ones.

Where a younger person can benefit from herbal supplements like Ginkgo Biloba, Saw Palmetto and others, in older people, these herbals may cause adverse reactions with their prescription medications.

In 2003, a panel of experts put together a list of potential medications that would not be appropriate to give to seniors. This is called the “Beers List” after one of the research professionals.

Dr. Donna M Fick, R.N. one of the panel members for updating the “Beers List,” states in her article on Seniorjournal.com:

“Just as our bodies physically slow down as we age, changes occur in the way that older bodies handle pharmaceuticals, and this has motivated experts to develop a list of drugs that may be harmful to elderly patients.

“With age, drugs tend to build up in the body, and the distribution and elimination of drugs from the body changes as well,” says Dr. Donna M. Fick, R.N., associate professor of nursing at Penn State. “Many drugs, like diazepam (Valium) and other anti-anxiety drugs build up fast.”

An on-line article on HealthSquare.com, titled “Drugs and the Elderly,” talks about physical symptoms and medications.

“Among the first signs that a drug may not be working properly in an older person is a change in mood, energy, attitude, or memory. Too often, these alterations are overlooked, ignored, or chalked off to “old age” or senility. Older people may themselves feel that their blue mood is caused by something external such as the death of a friend or simply by boredom. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Virtually every heart medication, blood pressure drug, sleeping pill, and tranquilizer has been known to trigger depressive symptoms.

When a psychological symptom appears in an older person, examine his or her medication or drug use first. Consider, too, factors like alcohol intake, poor nutrition, and hormone imbalance. And never dismiss the possibility that a real psychological problem has developed and may itself require medication.”

There are many things family members can do to help monitor medications for their elderly parents.

• Make a list of medicines prescribed and all supplements being taken.
• Give this list to the doctor and pharmacist and have one on hand for emergencies.
• Use the same Pharmacy to fill all prescriptions. Pharmacies keep a record of your prescribed drugs and will verify your doctor’s instructions. They will also tell you if foods or over the counter supplements will interact with a prescription.
• Dispense pills in a daily pill organizer box.
• Have a family member be responsible to call or physically monitor the taking of medication

Family members who live long distances from their elders have available to them
new technology in medication monitoring.

• Alarms for pill boxes, watch alarms, medical alarm bands and necklaces that ring a reminder.
• Computerized pill box dispensers that ring a designated number if the pills have not been taken.
• Home Telehealth

“Technology has developed computer and computer cameras to help the elderly in their homes stay safe and healthy. Home telehealth-set up by medical professionals in the home–enables providers to monitor such things as medications and blood pressure and actually see the patient. Patient questions are answered and advice is given, while the monitoring nurse views through the video phone how his or her patient looks physically.” The 4 Steps of Long Term Care Planning, Pg 92

• Home Care Agencies – Home care companies offer a variety of service options in helping families care for and properly dispense medication to their elder parents.

Find a home care agency in your area:  http://www.longtermcarelink.net/a7homecare.htm

Overmedication or taking medication incorrectly may lead to early mental confusion and decline in health in seniors. “If medication problems were ranked as a disease in cause of death it would be the 5 th leading cause in the United States”. (from article on LongTermLiving)

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Martin V. Higgins, CFP,CLU,AEP AEP is a financial practitioner who specializes in helping people prepare financially for long term care.

We invite you to visit our website @ http://www.familywealthadvisory.com to learn how Family Wealth Management may be the right choice for you, your family or business