While dizziness can occur and pose a danger to anyone, they are considered to be much more dangerous in the elderly. As you age, your muscles also age, which makes it much harder for the elderly to maintain balance. As a result, the elderly are more likely to fall, which can be extremely dangerous given the fact that they tend to have brittle bones. This makes them more prone to significant injuries that pose a cause for concern such as a broken wrist or hip, especially without timely intervention. As such, many homes install safety equipment such as grab bars in toilets so that they are able to maintain their balance. Given that the elderly already have difficulty in balancing given their old age, being dizzy makes it far worse. Read on to find out how to treat dizziness in the elderly.
Dizziness
Dizziness can be defined as the disorienting feeling you get which makes you lightheaded or unbalanced. You may feel that you are close to fainting or just simply become unaware of the things happening around you. Sometimes, these feelings come together with vomiting and nausea. While dizziness by itself is not known to be a medical condition, it can be a symptom of an underlying cause.
To effectively treat dizziness in the elderly, we must first be able to understand the cause of dizziness. A non-exhaustive list of possible causes that lead to dizziness include:
- Inner ear problems
- Hypoglycemia
- Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV)
- Circulation problems
- Consuming certain medications
- Conditions like anxiety, anemia, and migraine
- Motion sickness
- Stroke
- Dehydration
- Illness like the common cold
- Head injuries
As such, treating dizziness often involves the treatment of one or more of these conditions.
Remedies for Dizziness
If you or your loved one is experiencing dizziness, then you would be delighted to know that there are some foods and nutrients that may help to alleviate the dizziness they feel. One of the first things you should do when you feel dizzy is to drink more water. This is because dehydration is one of the major causes of dizziness. As such, you should always ensure that you stay hydrated especially during hotter days in the summer.
Apart from drinking more water, you may also want to consider consuming ginger, which is commonly used to treat nausea in pregnant women. Ginger can be taken in many forms, such as supplements, ginger tea, or by simply adding grounded or fresh ginger into your diet.
You may also choose to consume vitamins C, D, and E, for that they are known to reduce vertigo as well as to maintain elasticity in blood vessels. Of course, before you or your loved one starts taking any new form of supplements or medication, you should always first consult a medical professional for advice.
If you suspect that the cause of dizziness is anemia, then you are highly encouraged to consume a more iron-rich diet, which involves eating more red meat and poultry.
