Feeling dizzy is an awful feeling for just about anyone over the age of 10. While children may love to spin themselves into pure dizziness when they play, most adults avoid being dizzy at all costs. Unfortunately, sometimes, dizzy spells become a normal part of life, and if your elderly loved one regularly battles dizziness, it puts her at risk for other dangers, such as falling. Home care services can help provide a safe environment for your loved one.

Dizziness Symptoms

Feeling dizzy can be a bit different for different people, and it can range in intensity. In general, dizziness symptoms include:

• Feeling Lightheaded, like the brain has shut down a bit, and maybe the world is fading away.
• Feeling off-balance and struggling to stay upright.
• Feeling weak or even faint, like they might pass out at any moment.
• Feeling like either they are spinning, or the area around them is spinning. Objects might appear to tilt to one side or the other.

Most Common Causes of Dizziness in Seniors

Since most seniors are not spinning themselves around and around or riding rides that spin them around, you might wonder what causes your loved one to suddenly feel dizzy and have to grab hold of items around her to stay upright.

Several main causes of dizziness are more likely for seniors than for others. Let’s look at them.

1. Cardiovascular Issues: If your loved one has a cardiovascular disease, it can make her more dizzy. When the heart has problems pumping blood throughout the body, blood pressure can drop and cause dizziness, especially when standing up suddenly.
2. Vertigo: Vertigo and dizziness often go hand-in-hand. Vertigo is a balance disorder that often causes bouts of dizziness. A sudden change in head position or getting up suddenly can cause the room to appear to spin and lead to dizziness.
3. Medication Side Effects: Some commonly used medications for seniors can increase the risk of dizzy spells. These can include medications used to lower blood pressure, antidepressants, and anti-seizure medications.
4. Low Iron: If your loved one doesn’t get enough iron in her diet, she might not be getting enough oxygen in her body, leading to dizzy spells.
5. Dehydration can also lead to dizzy spells, whether it’s becoming dehydrated because of excessive sweating in the summer, or because of a side effect of another medication or an illness.

Getting Help with Dizziness for Your Senior with Home Care

Your senior should work with her doctor to determine the cause of her dizzy spells and address it to reduce their occurrence. Unfortunately, many people who suffer from dizziness never find a root cause, so they learn to live with it. For seniors, living with dizziness means taking steps to prevent falls that may occur during a dizzy spell.

Around the home, you can add in supports that are within easy reach for your senior should she have a dizzy spell. She can also learn to move more slowly, especially when rising from a seated or lying down position. She might find that getting help for some tasks from a home care provider can help her avoid putting herself in a dangerous position if a dizzy spell occurs.

Home care providers can help her carry items upstairs, reach high-up items, and change lightbulbs in ceiling lights. If she is concerned about driving, a home care provider can also help with transportation.

If you or an aging loved one is considering Home Care in Encinitas, CA, please contact the caring staff at A Passion for Care today. Call (858) 798-5005

A Passion for Care is a Trusted Home Care Agency serving San Diego, La Jolla, Del Mar, Rancho Bernardo, Encinitas, Oceanside, Rancho Santa Fe, Point Loma, and surrounding areas.

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Pat Melzer

Owner at A Passion for Care

Like many people in the senior care business, founder Pat Melzer was motivated by personal experience to start an in-home senior service business in 2010. After watching chronic conditions, dementia, and surgeries take over the life of her once very intelligent and lively mother-in-law, Pat saw the enormity of the need for better in-home care. Drawing on her 23 years of experience in the computer industry as a software product manager, engineering manager and computer programmer, she decided to develop best practices to build an organization that provides truly excellent, personalized care. Throughout the company’s history, Pat has been personally and professionally committed to ensuring your loved one receives the quality care they deserve. With often heroic efforts by the staff and dedicated caregivers, the vision has become a reality to be very proud of.

Making the transition to a completely new industry brought the opportunity to learn and grow, which continues still today. Pat studied Gerontology in San Diego State University’s certificate program and became licensed as a Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA), a Home Health Aide (HHA), and completed the California Certification Program for Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly (RCCFE) as a Certified Administrator. She presented workshops at Aging in America Conference four years in a row and served as Chair of the San Diego Regional Home Care Council 2019-2020 and was the education board member for several years. More recently, Pat became a Certified Senior Advisor and was a San Diego Business Journal “50 over 50 2022 Women of Influence Honoree”.

Pat and her husband Roland have lived outside San Diego in the San Pasqual Valley for over three decades. She has two children who are grown professionals and three grandchildren. Pat enjoys traveling to, and visits from, family and friends throughout the year. While at home in San Pasqual Valley, she and Roland enjoy peaceful views and exploring the surrounding valleys.

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