Many older folks choose a caffeinated beverage to get their day started, whether it’s tea or coffee. Caffeine has health advantages, but excessive use might have a negative impact on an elderly person’s well-being. How can Senior Home Care help watch over your senior’s caffeine intake?
When you start looking after your senior mom or dad, you may be hesitant to encourage them to drink coffee or even tea. It can be hard knowing what’s actually good and bad for your senior mom or dad and even harder to know if they live healthily if you’re not always there. One thing that may help your elderly loved one is hiring a senior home care provider to help them at home.
Senior home care providers can help take note of any caffeinated beverages and look for any possible side effects that make a senior feel uncomfortable. It’s time to take stock of your elderly loved ones’ caffeine consumption to understand if any changes need to be made. Here are some crucial things to note and consider about things like coffee and tea.
There Are Benefits to Drinking Caffeine
Caffeine’s stimulant impact is well-known among elderly persons. Besides helping to awaken the brain, caffeine has been shown to enhance cognitive performance and improve energy.
Caffeine’s impact on aging has been studied recently. The research found that those who drank a coffee a day lived longer than those who didn’t. In the study, researchers identified a correlation between coffee intake and death. Coffee may be part of a healthy diet, as shown by this example.
Caffeine seems to provide weight-loss benefits as well. According to one study, the burst of energy provided by coffee and tea may help keep older persons active. According to other research, caffeine seems to affect fat accumulation in males. It may thus lower their risk of obesity.
Know the Risks First
There are several health advantages to moderate caffeine use, particularly for elderly persons. On the other hand, excessive caffeine use may result in negative health consequences such as dehydration, elevated blood pressure, and anxiety.
According to research, older individuals with type 2 diabetes respond differently to coffee. Caffeine may induce an increase in blood sugar and insulin levels. Others may suffer decreased blood sugar levels immediately after consuming two cups of coffee.
Caffeine use may result in a bad night’s sleep. Caffeine consumption too close to bedtime may impair the quality of sleep throughout the night and the ability to fall asleep. Caffeine use should be restricted to the morning and early afternoon hours for older persons.
While you are evaluating your loved one’s health, it’s also time to consider hiring senior home care for daily help. Your senior may not be drinking enough other fluids like water and becoming more dehydrated when drinking coffee. This can have serious side effects and should be considered.
Not all seniors will want to move to homes and be monitored all of the time, but a caregiver can be something in between. Overall health is crucial for seniors, but limiting the amount of caffeine they drink can help them too.