Tips for Helping a Senior Suffering Emotional Difficulties Avoid Malnutrition

Homecare in Draper UT: Helping Your Senior Avoid Malnutrition

As a family caregiver you likely already understand the serious risk that malnutrition can pose for your senior. What they eat is a major part of their overall health and well-being, but unfortunately, millions of elderly adults throughout the United States are currently living with malnutrition or are at risk of it.

Though many people think of financial issues as being the leading force behind malnutrition, this is not necessarily the case.  Seniors face many other factors that can lead to them not getting the nutrition that they need to stay healthy, comfortable, and functional as they age in place. One is emotional health challenges.

Seniors who are dealing with depression, stress, or anxiety are likely to not focus as much on taking care of themselves, may struggle with diminished appetite, and may face other lifestyle issues that keep them from getting adequate nutrition.  You can help them to overcome these problems and improve their quality of life as they age.

Use these tips to help a senior suffering emotional difficulties avoid malnutrition:

• Help them seek out support in the community so that they can cope with their emotional and mental health difficulties more effectively.

• Invite them to your home to enjoy meals with the rest of your family as often as possible

• Go to their home during their meal times and sit with them while they eat, even if you have already eaten.  This social support is critical.

• Encourage them to help you make decisions regarding what they are going to eat so that they feel involved and relevant.

• Get into the kitchen with them and let them help you cook to boost their mental, emotional, and cognitive health.

How can home care help?

If you have noticed that your parent’s challenges and needs are more than what you can handle, or your own schedule or limitations have changed and made it more difficult for you to put forth the caregiver efforts that your parent needs and deserves, now may be the time for you to consider home care.

A care provider can be with your aging parent on a customized schedule to fill any care gaps that exist and ensure that your parent is getting the care, support, and assistance that they need at all times.  This can include a wide range of highly personalized services such as providing safe and reliable transportation so that they can do the things that they want and need to do without always relying on you, assistance with housekeeping, personal care support, and help with meal preparation.

As a family caregiver, this can give you peace of mind that your aging parent will be able to stay happy, healthy, comfortable, and fulfilled as they age in place, both when you are able to be with them and when you are not.

If you are considering homecare in Draper, 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)

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2563720/
http://www.malnutritiontaskforce.org.uk/resources/malnutrition-factsheet/
https://www.cdc.gov/aging/data/index.htm