As people age, they often find that everyday wellness routines such as proper diet and nutrition become more difficult to maintain. These barriers can seem especially challenging if you care for a senior who suffers from physical or mental conditions that impair their ability to feed themselves in a regular, healthy manner.
You can help your elderly loved one stay well and enjoy a higher quality of life when you understand these challenges to healthy eating and take steps to safeguard against them. Take the following four tips to heart.
1. Keep the Right Foods on Hand
A balanced diet plays a critical role in human health no matter your age. However, seniors have special nutritional needs that stem from age-related physical changes. For example, older bodies typically lose muscle mass, promoting weakness and instability, while a less-effective digestive system can encourage constipation.
You can reduce these problems, or at least keep them from getting worse, by stocking the refrigerator and pantry with the right kinds of foods. Keep plenty of high-protein foods on hand, including such easy-to-eat favorites as cheese, yogurt, tuna, and peanut butter. Whole grains offer fiber for better digestive function.
2. Prepare Meals for Easy Consumption
All the healthy foods in the world won't do much good if your senior loved one has trouble consuming them. Infirmities such as arthritis, dementia, nerve damage, and poor vision can turn the simple act of eating or drinking into an impossible chore. Seniors may also find it impossible or undesirable to finish large meals.
To make mealtime easier, consider serving finger foods instead of dishes that require manipulation of a fork, knife, or spoon. Examples of such foods include fish sticks, chicken nuggets, chopped raw fruits or vegetables, and fruit smoothies or protein shakes. Serve multiple small daily meals instead of three enormous ones.
3. Arrange Treatment for Underlying Conditions
Some seniors would happily eat and drink their usual menu items if only they could manipulate tableware, chew, and digest their food without significant discomfort. Age-related conditions such as osteoarthritis can make any manual activity painful, while poorly-fitting dentures or gallbladder problems can interfere with digestion.
If your senior loved one wants to keep enjoying meals in a normal manner for as long as possible, find out exactly what kinds of pain prevent them from doing so. Have a doctor evaluate the condition in question and prescribe whatever medication, physical therapy, or other treatment measures might improve comfort and function.
4. Maintain a Consistent Food and Drink Routine
Seniors often lose some of the sensory triggers that normally spur eating and drinking. An elderly individual who fails to feel hungry may either skip or forget meals. Seniors who don't experience thirst the way younger people do may fail to hydrate regularly, placing their well-being at risk.
One simple way to remove this concern involves sticking to a regular, predictable meal and snack schedule. This approach ensures that seniors will eat what they should, when they should, even if they don't feel particularly hungry. Gentle reminders and an upbeat approach will help you persuade a non-hungry senior to eat.
To help your senior loved one stay hydrated, first find out what kinds of drinks they prefer, from hot coffee or tea to cold fruit juices or simple water. Keep those beverages readily available at all times. Remember that seniors can get some of the water they need from water-rich foods such as fruits, vegetables, and soups.
If you would like additional tips on senior diet and nutrition, or if you need assistance in providing your senior loved one with healthy meals on a regular schedule,
contact
Redi-Nurse. Our skilled team can bring you peace of mind, ease your home care workload, and help your elderly family member thrive.
