Tips for Helping a Senior with Eating Challenges Get Better Nutrition
As a family care provider, you know how important it is to encourage your parent to get good nutrition on a regular basis.
Many elderly adults struggle with getting the proper nutrition due to habits that they formed when they were younger, misunderstandings about nutrition, physical and cognitive challenges and limitations that prevent them from accessing the food that they need, and other issues. Some struggle with physical difficulties that make eating more challenging, which can prevent them from being able to eat the foods that they need to eat to keep their body healthy and thriving. Helping them to cope with these eating challenges and support better nutrition will help your senior to live a healthier, more fulfilling life as they age in place.
Senior Care Arlington County VA: Nutritional Health
Use these tips to help a senior with eating challenges get better nutrition:
Identify the source of the eating challenge. If you notice that your aging parent is having more difficulty eating, take time to identify what is causing this challenge. Talk to their doctor about any health problems that they have and if they would contribute to eating challenges, such as difficulty chewing or swallowing. If this is not the case, consider whether your parent might be dealing with dental pain. Once you have identified the source of the challenge, you can better manage it
Address pain effectively. If your parent is struggling with dental pain that is making it hard for them to chew, do not hesitate to bring them to the dentist. They can identify the cause of the pain and provide solutions will relieve your parents and help them to regain their ability to eat a healthy diet
Give them the emotional support that they need. Not being able to eat due to chewing or swallowing problems can be frustrating, upsetting, and even frightening. Be there for your parents and provide them with the emotional support that they need. Often encouraging them to take their time, slow down, and relax, can help to ease these difficulties and reduce the chances that they will experience choking or other dangerous effects
Help them to find alternative ways to get the nutrition that they need. Smoothies and soups are fantastic vehicles for nutrition for those who have difficulty with chewing and swallowing. Ask their doctor for recommendations for how to make these as beneficial for your parent as possible. For example, adding protein powder, powdered greens, and fiber powder to smoothies, or flaxseed powder to soups can help your parent to get the vital nutrients that they need in a simple and accessible form
Starting elderly care for your aging parent can be one of the best decisions that you can make for them if you want to encourage their highest quality of life as they age in place. An elderly home care services provider can step in to fill care gaps, provide additional companionship and support, and help your parent to live a lifestyle that is as fulfilling, engaged, and independent as they age in place. These services can include everything from safe and reliable transportation, assistance with tasks such as running errands, physical support to assist with mobility issues, help with keeping the home clean, personal care tasks, and more. As their family caregiver this can give you a tremendous sense of peace of mind knowing that your loved one is in good hands both when you are with them and when you are not.
If you or an aging loved-one are considering Senior Care in Arlington County, VA, please contact the caring staff at LivinRite Home Care. Call Us Today at (703) 634-9991.
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