Is Your Senior Eating Between Meals?

Snacking in between meals might be something that you want to discourage your elderly family member from doing, but it might be something that could turn out to be positive. It’s important to find out what is happening and why so that you can figure out whether this is actually a solution.

Home Care in Salt Lake City UT: Senior Eating Habits

Sometimes Eating Between Meals Is a Solution of Sorts

Lots of aging adults find that eating larger meals is just not comfortable. Your elderly family member might be eating between meals either consciously or unconsciously as a way of continuing to eat while also being more comfortable. She might even be eating more than she was during meals, which could be a good thing.

Memory Issues Can Make This Worse

If your elderly family member has memory issues, though, this situation of snacking between meals might be a little more complicated. She might forget that she had a snack, for instance, or forget that she’s just eaten a full meal. That can cause her to eat more than she realizes and more than you even realize she’s eating.

Swap out Unhealthy for Healthy

One of the big things you need to look into at first is what types of snacks your senior is grabbing between meals. If she’s grabbing a lot of junk food or foods with empty calories that’s not good at all. If you can, work some healthier snack options into her rotations. Make them easy to access, too. Fruits, vegetables, cheese, and yogurt can all be great choices depending on your senior’s dietary needs.

Roll with It

In some cases, you might not be able to curtail the snacking between meals. If that’s accurate, then you might be better served by just rolling with it. Start making the between meal snacks smaller versions of her actual meals. Home care providers can help you to ensure that your senior’s snacks throughout the day are helping her to meet her dietary needs. They can also help to keep track of what your elderly family member is actually eating and when. You might find that when you stop fighting your senior about between meal snacking, it’s easier to help her get the nutrition that she needs.

Take some time to assess why your elderly family member is eating between meals and what she’s eating. There might be some valid reasons for this new habit that you can capitalize on. The old ideas of eating three large meals a day might not be what’s right for your aging adult right now and that’s okay.

Are you or a loved one considering hiring Home Care in Salt Lake City, UT? Please talk to the friendly staff at December Rose Senior Care at Home. Providing Home Care in Highland, Utah and Surrounding Communities. 801-427-ROSE (7673)