at home care providers suggest reevaluating their worth within their diet. It is true we all need to maintain a good balance of vitamins and nutrients and the best way to do that is through the foods we eat. However, as your parent ages, their tastes change and often they dislike certain foods or the aromas those foods emit. If their diet is lacking in minerals and vitamins to sustain their health, supplements may provide a healthy advantage. However, when taken inappropriately, supplements may cause health concerns.

Understanding how supplements work is important. At home care providers will assist you and your loved one in learning about the various vitamins and minerals on the market. Although registered with the Food and Drug Administration these products are not controlled by this agency. What that means is the ingredients may not be 100% vitamin or mineral. They may include fillers and additives that are harmful to your parent. Also, since supplements are not drugs, they cannot claim to cure or prevent illness.

The additives in these supplements may cause interactions with other prescription medications your mother or father is taking. At home care providers suggest discussing any choice of supplements with your loved one’s medical team and the dispensing pharmacist. It is best to review any contraindication.

Too much of anything could be bad for you, and that rings true even with vitamins. Vitamin D is excellent for bone density. However, too much vitamin D can cause kidney stones, constipation, confusion and abnormal heart rhythm. Neither your parent nor their at home care providers need any additional worries of illness.

Your parent needs to control their potassium levels and often a banana a day is like an apple a day. However if too much potassium is consumed their blood pressure might spike, and their kidney function may be affected. At home care providers are a great source of knowledge and they are willing to share their wealth of nutritional knowledge.