How To Help The Elderly to Live Healthier, Happier Lives

When individuals aged 65 and above retire from work, they usually want to rest and enjoy the rest of their lives. Unfortunately, ageing is mostly associated with malnutrition, changes in sensory perceptions, loneliness, depression, forgetfulness, poor dental health, and physical inactivity.

These factors mostly contribute to poor health and nutritional wellbeing among this age group and prevent them from enjoying the life they desire. If you have an elderly relative, here are some guidelines to help them live a healthier and happier life.

1. Cook a variety of healthy meals for the aged especially when they will be left on their own as loneliness can prevent them from cooking. Cooking a variety of meals for them will get them to eat adequately nutritious meals, and removes the boredom of eating the same food all time and consequently losing appetite. Loss of appetite, poor quality meals, and inadequate food, are all contributing factors of malnutrition.
2. Incorporate foods like oats, brown rice, whole grain cereals, whole grain bread and fruits in their diet. These are excellent sources of fibre that help to prevent constipation, a condition that is common among the aged.
3. Flavour their meals with fresh herbs, natural spices like ginger and garlic, salsas, chutney and healthy sauces, to improve the taste of meals and make them more appetizing. Remember that in old age, there are usually changes in our sensory perception. Also do not use salt as a flavour because high salt intake is linked to high blood pressure (hypertension), which is common among the elderly.
4.  Serve their food in attractive ways. You can experiment with multi-coloured fruits and vegetable salads and find interesting ways to encourage eating adequately to prevent malnutrition.
5. Remind them to eat, especially when they are left on their own. They may forget to eat if you do not do prompt them.
6. Eat with them to show love and togetherness. This will prevent them from feeling lonely and depressed, and making them loose appetite.
7. Assist with feeding if the need arises. If they cannot easily swallow food due to poor dental health, provide them chopped, mashed or pureed foods. Gravy and sauces can help to soften and moisten their food as well.
8. Encourage them to drink milk, a very good source of calcium, which is needed for strong bones and teeth. Seek a doctor’s advice on giving the elderly calcium supplements in situations where milk is not readily available.
9. Encourage them to consume a lot of liquids like water and natural fruit juices so they do not become dehydrated and suffer constipation.
10. Get them involved in physical activity. For example, you can offer to take them on regular walks in the neighborhood. Physical activity tends to be generally low among the elderly, so you should encourage them to get more active. Physical activity will also improve bowel movements and prevent constipation.

Good nutrition can improve the general health and quality of life of older adults. Furthermore, it can prevent or reduce some of the physical and mental ailments associated with ageing.

About Contributor

Ama Konadu Appiah holds a BSc Home Science from the University of Ghana and an MSc Nutritional Sciences from the University of Nottingham, UK. Ama specialises in health promotion, nutrition & metabolism and molecular nutrition.  

Read more »

BECOME A HEALTHIER YOU; How to Cut Down On Your Sugar Intake

Overweight and Obesity

Overweight and obesity are risk factors for Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, some cancers and cardiovascular diseases like heart disease and stroke. 

One of the contributing factors of obesity is a diet high in calories. that mean high in fat or high in sugar. In this article, I share tips to help you cut down on sugar, especially added sugar intake, so you can achieve the recommended amount of added sugar in your meals.

For men and women, the recommended amount of sugar added to food, also known as added sugar is at most 70g and 50g, respectively. This recommendation however varies depending on your age, body size and how active you are. To know your exact recommendation, do consult a dietician or nutritionist.

For everyone

When Shopping

1. Read food labels to identify what the added sugars in a product are. They are usually shown on the labels as sucrose, glucose, fructose, maltose, molasses, hydrolysed starch, invert sugar, corn syrup and honey. When you see the added sugars, check how much of them are contained in the product. A food which contains 22.5g of sugar per 100g of the product is very high in sugar while anything below 5g is low.
2. Swap products with high sugar content like fizzy drinks, sweetened fruit juices, and squashes with low sugar ones like natural fruit juices and water. Because you are more likely to reach for those high sugar drinks when they are in your stores, it is a good idea to avoid stocking your food stores with them.

When preparing meals

1. For meals such as porridge, cereal and homemade drinks like ‘Sobolo’ (Bisarp, hibiscus), swap table sugar for chopped fruits and squeezed fruits juices to meet your taste preference. The fruits will not only improve the ‘taste’ of your food, but also provide you with nutrients such as Vitamin B and C. In the end, you will meet the recommendation of eating 5 portions of fruits and vegetables a day.
2. If you drink tea, coffee or chocolate drinks, gradually cut down on the sugar you add till you can drink these beverages without sugar.
3. When thirsty, reach out more for water, natural unsweetened fruit juices, and less fizzy drinks and sweetened fruit juices, which are high in sugar.
   
   
4. When looking for something to munch in between meals, grab a fruit, vegetable, or nut and avoid toffees and chocolate.
   
   
5. If you are the type who likes to eat desserts after a main meal, decide the number of times in a week or month you will take your desserts. This way you do not eat dessert every day as this is an unhealthy habit. Also when choosing your desserts, pick the ones that are low in sugar content.
   
   
6. When eating high sugar foods such as cakes, ice cream and chocolate, try to eat smaller portions.

For people who have BMI 25 and above / Overweight and Obese people

If you are overweight or obese, you need to take additional steps.

Apart from cutting down on foods high in sugar and fat, you should also do more physical activity, and  increase your consumption of fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains and nuts. Also make it a point to get enough sleep, reduce or cut out alcohol consumption and adopt a no smoking habit.

Keep in mind that a dietician or a nutritionist can design a healthy lifestyle plan for you.

For children

Obesity can occur at any age, so as much as possible, we should not introduce children to foods high in sugar. Children who are given high sugar foods at an early age develop a preference for those sugared foods and thereby increase their risk of obesity and its related problems.

A healthy lifestyle is the best investment anyone can make. We wish you the best in your journey to become a healthier you in 2015

Photo Credit: Kofimusings

About contributor

Irene Danquah, ANutr holds a BSc Biochemistry from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Ghana and an MSc Public Health Nutrition from the University of Southampton, UK. Irene is member of the UK Association for Nutrition (AfN) and the Ghana Nutrition Association. She is on the UK Voluntary Register of Nutritionists (UKVRN) as an Associate Nutritionist. Like the World Bank, Irene also believes "Nutrition is an investment issue and improved nutrition is one of the major drivers of economic growth - World Bank, 2006". 

Read more »

SAFETY TIPS AT THE WORKPLACE

The holidays are over and most if not all of us have resumed work or will be resuming work soon. As you will spend at least 8 hours at the workplace, you need to feel and keep safe. Ernest Amoah, a public health professional who specialises in occupational health and safety shares with us safety tips to note at the workplace so as to safely return home to our loved ones below;

1. Always wear the recommended clothing for your type of work

2. If you are a construction worker by the roadsides and highways, always make yourself visible by wearing reflector jackets or other visible clothing 

3. Avoid less ventilated areas.

4. Keep yourself hydrated by drinking water and fruit juices, taking regular breaks when working in an environment where much heat is produced.

5. Do not take any medication that can cause drowsiness before or during any machine operation

6. Inform colleagues of your whereabouts at the workplace. Do check on your colleagues especially when they fail to turn up for lunch breaks

7. Promptly report any exposed electrical wiring at the workplace

8. Report on leakage, damp walls or floors and mouldy surfaces promptly

9. Always know the emergency exits at your workplace

Remember, your loved ones need you to be back home, safely, so keep safe at the workplace.

Photo Credit: Kofimusings

About contributor

Ernest Amoah Ampah holds a BSc Biochemistry from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Ghana and a Master of Public Health  from the University of Belgrade, Serbia. Ernest specialises in occupational health & safety, environmental health, epidemiology, health policy & management and biostatistics.  

Read more »

Six tips to become a Healthier Person in 2016

Another brand new year is here and as usual, some of us may be debating whether or not to set New Year resolutions. However, one thing no one can argue with is the need to be healthy. This is because without good health, you simply cannot achieve anything- whether or not you have a resolution.

This New Year 2016, Olime Health is on a mission to make you a healthier person. Here are six simple steps you can take to have a happier, healthier 2016.

Becoming a healthier you

1. Find a drive and set a target: Finding some compelling reasons to stay healthier as well as setting targets for yourself will push you to embark on a journey of becoming a healthier you. This is because when there is a compelling reason, humans by nature are driven to do things and we naturally like to achieve targets.
2. Develop an action plan: After setting a healthy lifestyle goal, develop a plan of action to help you achieve the goal.
3. Get a truthful witness: Living a healthy lifestyle is a journey, and like any other journey, it can be difficult to keep up or maintain the momentum. Getting someone you trust to act as a truthful witness to push you on your healthier lifestyle journey is very helpful. Remember two is better than one. Get someone so you can remind each other daily of your healthy lifestyle goals. With that, it is easier to stick with the healthy lifestyle plans or choices you have decided to make. In other words, you need someone to be a scorekeeper.
4. Start or Join a health club: A health club is a good place to go when you are looking for encouragement or you will like to know how others maintain healthier lifestyles. You cannot go wrong with a social support system, we all need one.
5. Discuss health at home: You can also hold healthy lifestyle discussions at home. In such a discussion, you may look at how to support one another in making healthy choices. It will also be a good period to modify any unhealthy habits and behaviour in the family.
6. Look for a nutritionist or a dietitian: Find a professional with whom you can chat concerning your lifestyle choices. You can also invite the professional to your health club and your home.

So, get started today. By following these steps, you are on track to a healthy new year. 

Follow us for credible health information and tips as you continue with your healthy lifestyle journey in 2016. You can follow us on Become A Healthier You, Olime Health and on Twitter

Page last reviewed: 04/01/2016

Next review due: 01/01/2017

Photo Credit: Kofimusings

About contributor

Irene Danquah, ANutr holds a BSc Biochemistry from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Ghana and an MSc Public Health Nutrition from the University of Southampton, UK. Irene is member of the UK Association for Nutrition (AfN) and the Ghana Nutrition Association. She is on the UK Voluntary Register of Nutritionists (UKVRN) as an Associate Nutritionist. Irene is the 'Author of Become A Healthier You' Get it on Amazon: http://amzn.to/1Cg8zpV or at Add Pharma, Movenpick Hotel, Accra or Ringway Chemists, Opp the Ghana Police Headquarters, near Country Kitchen.. 

Read more »

Privacy Policy

Privacy Policy for Olimehealth.blogspot.com

Thank you for visiting olimehealth.blogspot.com

The privacy of our visitors to olimehealth.blogspot.com is important to us.

At olimehealth.blogspot.com, we recognize that privacy of your personal information is important. Here is information on what types of personal information we receive and collect when you use and visit olimehealth.blogspot.com, and how we safeguard your information. We never sell your personal information to third parties.

Log Files
As with most other websites, we collect and use the data contained in log files. The information in the log files include your IP (internet protocol) address, your ISP (internet service provider, such as AOL or Shaw Cable), the browser you used to visit our site (such as Internet Explorer or Firefox), the time you visited our site and which pages you visited throughout our site.

Cookies and Web Beacons
We do use cookies to store information, such as your personal preferences when you visit our site. This could include only showing you a popup once in your visit, or the ability to login to some of our features, such as forums.

We also use third party advertisements on Olimehealth.blogspot.com to support our site. Some of these advertisers may use technology such as cookies and web beacons when they advertise on our site, which will also send these advertisers (such as Google through the Google AdSense program) information including your IP address, your ISP , the browser you used to visit our site, and in some cases, whether you have Flash installed. This is generally used for geotargeting purposes (showing New York real estate ads to someone in New York, for example) or showing certain ads based on specific sites visited (such as showing cooking ads to someone who frequents cooking sites).

DoubleClick DART cookies
We also may use DART cookies for ad serving through Google’s DoubleClick, which places a cookie on your computer when you are browsing the web and visit a site using DoubleClick advertising (including some Google AdSense advertisements). This cookie is used to serve ads specific to you and your interests (”interest based targeting”). The ads served will be targeted based on your previous browsing history (For example, if you have been viewing sites about visiting Las Vegas, you may see Las Vegas hoteladvertisements when viewing a non-related site, such as on a site about hockey). DART uses “non personally identifiable information”. It does NOT track personal information about you, such as your name, email address, physical address, telephone number, social security numbers, bank account numbers or credit card numbers. You can opt-out of this ad serving on all sites using this advertising by visiting http://www.doubleclick.com/privacy/dart_adserving.aspx

You can chose to disable or selectively turn off our cookies or third-party cookies in your browser settings, or by managing preferences in programs such as Norton Internet Security. However, this can affect how you are able to interact with our site as well as other websites. This could include the inability to login to services orprograms, such as logging into forums or accounts.
Deleting cookies does not mean you are permanently opted out of any advertising program. Unless you have settings that disallow cookies, the next time you visit a site running the advertisements, a new cookie will be added.

Third party vendors, including Google, use cookies to serve ads based on a user’s prior visits to your website.
Google’s use of the DoubleClick cookie enables it and its partners to serve ads based on your visit to this sites and/or other sites on the Internet.

You may opt out of the use of the a third-party vendor’s use of cookies for interest-based advertising by visiting aboutads.info.

You can chose to disable or selectively turn off our cookies or third-party cookies in your browser settings, or by managing preferences in programs such as Avast Antivirus.  However, this can affect how you are able to interact with our site as well as other websites.  This could include the inability to login to services orprograms, such as logging into forums or accounts.

For more details email  olimehealth@gmail.com

AdSense Privacy Policy Provided by <a href=”http://www.JenSense.com”>JenSense</a>

Read more »