Do you really care for your Mother? Simple Steps to Support Mom's Health

She is the one who lights up the darkest corners of our lives.
She is the one who gives us love, life and energy that makes us keep going.
She is the one who guides us, enlightens us and unconditionally loves us throughout our lives, no matter who we are.
Thus, this is for all the mothers who bought up their children with love and care.

Being a mom is a full time job. At the same time, some of our mothers manage full time corporate jobs as well. With this, it is hard for them to squeeze in time for their self care. Therefore, these are some tips for you to support your aging mom to bring back their energy and health, who work for you and maybe your children as well.

Have you ever heard of a concept called “wellness”?
The world wellness institute defines wellness as the active pursuit of activities, choices and lifestyles that lead to a state of holistic health ⁽¹⁾. This definition may feel like a handful, but the meaning is very simple. Wellness is an active process of becoming aware and making choices towards a healthy and fulfilling life ⁽²⁾.

To some of you, it may feel like wellness comes down to living active and disease free. Yet, it is a concept with multiple aspects. Mainly they are,

1. Physical wellness
2. Mental wellness
3. Emotional wellness
4. Spiritual wellness
5. Social wellness
6. Environmental wellness

So, what are those wellness tips? Let’s dive right into them.

1. Understanding your mom’s needs
   

   This is the first and the most important step in this list of tips. Open communication with your mother is the key to understanding her needs. Asking simple questions like what she likes to eat or how was her day or asking about her discomforts lately can make her feel both happy and wanted. You can use that information to identify common challenges of aging like vision changes, inability to move and nutritional issues and address them accordingly.

2. Focus on nutrition
   

   Our moms, mostly Sri Lankan moms are masters when it comes to the nutrition and health of their children. Often they feed their children without thinking twice about them. This makes them deficient in essential vitamins and minerals along with other major nutrients like proteins and lipids.

   A balanced diet is very important for our moms. It can help them live longer and fight different diseases (heart diseases, diabetes, cancers), strengthen bones, support muscles and maintain a healthy weight ⁽³⁾. As the metabolism slows down anyway, it is not a big issue if they eat less. But it is your responsibility to feed them with nutrient rich foods, so they do not end up getting nutrient deficiencies.

   It is good for them to consume nutrient rich foods (fruits, vegetables, eggs, sea food, lean meat, low fat dairy) and fiber rich foods (whole grain foods like red rice, lentils, beans). In this case most of us forget that water is an essential nutrient. Therefore encourage your mom to drink sufficient amounts of water throughout the day.

   Additional Tips

   It is hard to avoid nutritional deficiencies when aging. Due to natural processes, the body loses its ability to digest foods and absorb nutrients. It also becomes hard to chew and eat foods due to the loss of teeth, vision and taste. This reduces the amount of food your elderly mother tends to eat.

   SUSTACAL^® from Nestlé Health Science is a complete supplement with 3.1g of fiber and 10.2g of protein per serving for people who need extra nutritional support. It is specifically designed for older adults to help them regain strength and strengthen their immune system ⁽⁴⁾.

3. Help your mother to move her body frequently
   

   Sometimes, getting your elderly mother to move a little bit or to get her out of the house can be a hassle. But exercising is one of the most important things elderly can do to protect their mental and physical health.

   The first thing you can do is to encourage and motivate your mom. We all know that no one likes to be told what to do. She also might feel like they lost their independence and right to make decisions. If she is not comfortable talking to you about this topic, let them talk with their doctor. You should also remember that running laps around a park or a ground is not the only way of staying active.

   If they prefer doing work around the house like sweeping, gardening, playing with your children or a pet and going to the nearby grocery store, let them do it ⁽⁵⁾. Or else you can help connect her with group fitness classes or dancing classes. The point is to help her stay active as long as possible.

   If your mother is not getting enough exercise, she might lose her muscles and bone strength in the long run. This can increase her risk of falling and getting fractures which can be devastating for you.

   Nestlé Health Science Sri Lanka offers Nestlé ^® BOOST ^® as a part of a healthy diet. It contains extra energy and protein that when compared with physical activity will help maintain and regain muscle strength. It holds 45g of protein in three ⁽³⁾ servings with 16 different vitamins and minerals.

4. Preventive Care
   

   This tip is for your mom’s health care needs. The World Health Organization states that hearing loss, cataracts and other vision errors, back and neck pain and osteoarthritis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes, depression and dementia are very common among elderly population ⁽⁶⁾.

   Therefore, if you have the ability, take her to regular medical check ups. Early detection of diseases makes it easy to handle and treat them. Help your mother schedule appointments and offer to accompany her, providing support and a listening ear.

5. Address safety and security
   

   Your mother is getting older day by day. Therefore, it becomes harder and harder for them to protect them from external threats. This is very important to consider if your mother is living alone. You can take different measures to keep your mom safe and sound no matter if she lives with you or not.

   1. Make sure that the hallways and stairs are well lit.
   2. Clear the walking paths from objects that can cause tripping.
   3. Put rubber mats in the washrooms to prevent slipping.
   4. Frequently remind her to not let strangers inside the house when she is alone.
   5. Make sure all furniture, especially chairs, tables and bed stands are stable and fixed if needed.
   6. VI. Consider installing grab bars where they are needed ⁽⁷⁾.
6. Enhancing psychological and emotional wellbeing
   

   Your aging mother can face different psychological and emotional disturbances as she ages like loneliness, losing loved ones and different health conditions. Therefore, it is important for you to offer emotional support to your mom, just like she did to you, throughout your life. It will help her to lead a more fulfilling life, experience greater overall satisfaction and feel a greater sense of connectedness.

   1. Talk with her whenever possible. If she is living separately, schedule regular visits, phone calls and video calls to stay connected.
   2. Help her to get in contact with her old friends if possible.
   3. Encourage her to join in religious activities.
   4. If you have children, give her time to play with her grandchildren ⁽⁸⁾.

   Conclusion

   While our mothers tirelessly cared for us, their own needs may have fallen by the wayside. This Mother's Day, the greatest gift you can give is the gift of wellness. By taking an active role in supporting her health, both physically and emotionally, you can show your love and appreciation in a meaningful way. Remember, a healthy and happy mom is a gift to the entire family.