Helping Seniors Make Good Nutrition Choices
October 21, 2021
Good nutrition is a big problem for most seniors. Some estimates say that as many as 50% of seniors are malnourished. November is Good Nutrition Month and that means it’s the ideal time to pay more attention to what and how often your senior loved one is eating. Helping your senior parent make good nutrition choices can mean the difference between staying healthy or being malnourished. If you can’t be there for your senior parent everyday an in-home care provider can be there to make sure that your senior loved one is making the best possible choices and eating healthy meals each day. An in-home care provider can also help your senior loved one make better choices when it comes to eating by:
Helping Prepare And Clean Up Meals
It’s quite common for seniors to not eat a healthy balanced diet because they either can’t or don’t want to cook and clean up after a meal. Cooking vegetables and following recipes can be tough for seniors who have arthritis or low vision. And cleaning up after a meal and having to wash pots and pans is enough to make anyone want to reach for something easy to eat instead. But having you or an in-home care provider there to help with the cooking and the clean up may encourage your senior loved one to eat more balanced meals.
Making Cooking Fun
Seniors who like to cook but find it challenging or who don’t want to keep cooking the same old recipes can sometimes be encouraged to eat better by making cooking fun. Maybe you could can vegetables for the winter with your senior loved one. Or make some jam from fresh berries. You can create your own unique combinations of fruits and vegetables and store them away for the winter or make jams and jellies to give away as gifts.
Setting A Good Example
When you share meals with your senior loved one you can encourage them to make better nutritional choices by making better choices yourself. Instead of reaching for the phone to order pizza or takeout again make a healthy salad and some chicken or some rice and vegetables for a meal that you’re going to share with your senior loved one. Lead by example and you’ll be improving your own health at the same time that you are encouraging your senior loved one to make smart food choices.
Trying New Foods
Imagine eating the same foods for forty years. Or fifty years. Your senior loved one may just be tired of making the same recipes that they’ve been making for decades. To get them excited about eating give them the chance to try new foods. Take them out to restaurants or buy a cookbook that is filled with healthy recipes you’ve never tired before and cook your way through it. Your senior parent may discover a new love of certain vegetables or at least be more willing to eat healthy when eating healthy means trying new and delicious dishes.
If you or your loved one is looking for In-Home Care in Santa Cruz, CA, please call Familiar Surroundings Home Care.
Santa Clara County: (408) 979-9990
San Mateo County: (650) 353-9777
Santa Cruz County: (831) 480-3990
Source:
https://acl.gov/news-and-events/acl-blog/combatting-senior-malnutrition