Caregivers: Step Outside, Take a Walk and Prevent Vitamin D Deficiency

When is the last time you went for a walk? I mean a good 30 minute walk

I’m not sure of all the reasons, but many of our elder loved ones gradually lose interest in the great outdoors.

I know that their eyes become more sensitive to light, but I also think they perceive it as a lot of trouble, or that they might trip and fall.

That’s sad. Nature is so healing to the soul and the senses.

Hobbies like bird watching and fishing aren’t too strenuous either and are extremely relaxing and enjoyable–as well as something new to learn and can be shared cross generation-ally. Between sunblock, the shade, and hats, you can still manage to get a little sun and not expose yourself to skin cancer.

Vitamin D is absorbed through the skin, and this is the easier, most natural way to receive it.

Being inside isn’t necessarily safer either. Home accidents are all too common.

But there’s a hidden danger from staying indoors--that’s vitamin D deficiency–and it’s on the rise.

The reason I’m writing on this topic is because of a neighbor I ran into. We were chatting and I did notice her color was off, and she told me that her doctor told her she had a vitamin D deficiency. She runs at 6am every morning, but then she works all day and doesn’t get home until dark. Still, I would have thought that getting in and out of your car, going to lunch, etc., would offer enough “light.” Apparently not.

Our bodies can naturally synthesize more than 20,000 IU of vitamin D in just 20 minutes of sun exposure without ill effect. Our bodies even ”shuts off the synthesis” when we get enough. This doesn’t happen when we eat sources of vitamin D — the same 20,000 IU of vitamin D taken as an oral supplement could be toxic.

I did a little research:

A lack of vitamin D leads to bone and muscle weakness as well as leads to osteoporosis.
Women are more likely to have Vitamin D deficiency than men.
Infants and the elderly are at a higher risk
People who are milk intolerant may also have a difficult time converting Vitamin D, and therefore, may be deficient.
Breast milk provides some vitamin D, but not enough, and there diet should be supplemented.
Even though you live in a warm climate, how you live, what you wear, your religious practice (clothing), may still cause you to be at risk for a vitamin D deficiency
In extreme cases, it causes rickets, a condition that causes “soft bones,” fractures and deformities.

Foods that contain vitamin D are:

Fortified milk, cod liver oil, (but who’s going to drink that stuff?)
Egg yolks, butter, and oily fish like salmon.
Beef, cabbage, and corn oil
Fortified milk and breakfast cereals, are contain a synthetic vitamin D.
Check to make sure you’re getting at least 200 (IU–international units) per day in your multi-vitamin.

Infants need a higher dose, as do many of our elderly since their bodies may not be processing what they’re ingesting. In some older people, a 400 IU supplement may not be enough because they do not have proper absorption (calcium/lactose issues).

Pediatricians are surprised to see children suffering from rickets, a bone disorder caused by vitamin D deficiency. Is this due to our new lifestyles? Longer school hours, more homework, video games and computer time? How many kids do you see outside in the afternoon in your neighborhood. Not as many as I used to.

If you’re experiencing severe muscle weakness and pain, it may be an undiagnosed vitamin D deficiency.

Recent studies suggest low vitamin D may be putting the elderly at higher risk for the bone-thinning disease osteoporosis and life-threatening falls and fractures.

Not wanting to scare you, but vitamin D deficiency contributes to certain forms of cancer, high blood pressure, depression, and immune-system disorders such as multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis and diabetes.

What to do?

Check your multi-vitamin and get the proper dosage
Sit outside or even better, go for a walk 20-30 minutes a day
If you think you might be deficient, ask your doctor for a simple blood test

I hope I’ve alerted you to something that could make your life or the life of your loved one better–and brighter!
Caregivers, getting outside is a wonderful way to connect with your loved one. Share a glass of milk, pop your vitamin and grab a fishing pole, or go dig in the garden. Alzheimer's folks light up when their environment changes,and even if your loved one can only make it to the front porch, then that's okay. You can do a bit of yard work at the same time.

It might take a little coaxing to get them out the door, but it's worth it.

Hope you enjoy an evening stroll.

~Carol D. O’Dell
Author of Mothering Mother: A Daughter’s Humorous and Heartbreaking Memoir

available on Amazon and in most bookstores

www.mothering-mother.com

What's a Dry Run? Feeling Duped

Caregivers who have made it to the end stage are fitful, worn out creatures who shouldn’t be messed with.

The "dry run" I’m talking about when you think your loved one is going to pass away, and you call all the family, cry, say good-bye…and then they rally back to health.

You think you’d be relieved, but you’re exhausted, and if you’re like me, I felt a duped. Punked, like the new TV show calls it.

We had already called hospice which was extremely upsetting because it means you face that the end is near.

I could barely say the word, “hospice” at first.

Calling all my mother’s family was grueling–to say this again, and again–”I don’t think mother’s going to be here much longer.”

I cleaned her room, bought new curtains, made things simpler, gathered photos for her memorial service, prepared my kids.

Things got worse: she wasn’t eating and I sat by her bed and drizzled melted ice cream bars into her barely parted lips. My back ached. I grappled with the idea of a feeding tube and decided not to. She had stated on her living will not to, but it was excruciating to wonder if I had done the right thing. I wiped her face, stroking her tissue paper skin.

I stopped everything–going anywhere. Cooking–my daughters took over for me. Church–we all felt weighted and no one knew exactly what to do with ourselves. Everyone just sat on the couch…waiting. I lived off of strong coffee.

That lasted for about three days–and nights.

I wake the next morning, and she’s standing next to her little kitchen area.

She looks alert, asks, “What’s for breakfast?”

Now, see the whole picture before you judge my reaction:

My hair is matted to the back of my head from sleeping in the recliner next to her bed, I’m in rumpled clothes, and my mouth feels like I squeezed white glue in it. I haven’t seen the sun in days and I have no idea if my family is still in tact.

Breakfast!

I'm pretty sure I let a few curse words fly.
I was a bit miffed. Confused.

What day was it? Where was I? I scrambled eggs, made her a tray and took a shower.

Yes, I was angry, but it was good to be angry.

What do I mean by that?

Anger, ironically is a positive emotion.

You can only get angry at something you believe you can change.Apathy is when you’ve given up.

I didn’t want my mother to die, but I felt like someone had tied a rope onto my ankle and kept pushing me off a ledge over and over again. Caregiving had taken its toll. My emotions were strung so thin I had nothing left.

I hope letting you know that a “dry run” might be in your future will give you the heads up you need not to wear yourself slap out.

You never know what’s going to happen, but many people experience a “premonition,” an event that precedes the actual time of departure.

I believe it happens for a reason. It helps us get our thoughts and hearts aligned. It helps cushion the blow.

I actually walked around for a few days a bit ticked at her.

My life felt like I was walking into a room and knowing I went there to get something/do something but couldn’t think for the love of kittens what it was I wanted.

She toodled in her apartment (built onto our house), dozed, and we chatted. It’s hard to stay mad at someone who’s living on borrowed time and doesn’t know who the heck you are.

By then, she was referring to me as “little girl,” when she could find words at all.
What did I learn?
The will has more to do with life and death than a diagnosis.

A “dry run” is a lot like what you do when you're a little kid and you go in your mom or dad's closet and try on their shoes, coat and hat. You didn't know it, but you were practicing being grown. You were trying on your future.

And besides, it felt good to be mad. I can deal with mad. ~Carol D. O’Dell

Author of Mothering Mother: A Daughter’s Humorous and Heartbreaking Memoir

Available on Amazonwww.mothering-mother.com

www.kunati.com/mothering