Senior citizens need potassium to have a healthy functioning body. They need a well-balanced diet that will provide enough potassium. However, certain medications or health conditions cause them to be susceptible to potassium deficiency or hypokalemia.
If your senior loved one has low potassium, it can create negative impacts on their health. You may notice several symptoms such as muscle cramps, irregular heartbeat, weakness, and stomach pain. A doctor can diagnose hypokalemia by performing blood tests and EKG.
As per our experts for health services, if your senior loved one loves to eat unhealthy foods, there is a high chance that these foods can deplete the body of its much-needed vitamins and minerals.
As much as possible, you try to make sure that your senior loved one does not eat a lot of canned entrees. These foods contain high levels of sodium. If their body is excessive of sodium, it will require more potassium which can result in hypokalemia.
Dehydration also plays a part in the loss of potassium, so you need to make sure that you remind your senior family member to drink plenty of water daily to stay hydrated. It may also be beneficial to let them eat fruits such as watermelon because it also helps with the hydration.
Potassium helps regulate their heart rate and blood pressure. Therefore, low potassium is dangerous for senior adults because it can increase their blood pressure to dangerous levels.
For severe cases of low potassium, our services for high-quality nursing in Texas can perform IV therapy that can give their body the nutrition it needs fast.
If you have inquiries about our healthcare in Roma, Texas or want to make an appointment with any of our health experts, you are welcome to get in touch with us today.
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