One of the frustrating aspects of being a family caregiver is being uncertain how to help your elderly family member to take better care of herself, especially when that involves eating more regularly. There are a lot of factors that can go into helping your senior to eat more often.
Ask What’s Keeping Her from Eating
If you’re noticing that this is a new problem for your elderly family member, ask her what is keeping her from eating. The problem could be that her appetite is changing or that she’s experiencing pain when she eats. Until you ask her, you may have to keep guessing about what’s going on. Eliminate as much of the guessing as you can, even if it seems your elderly family member is reluctant to talk about it at first.
Make the Table and Meal as Appealing as Possible
Making each meal a special occasion can do more than you think to grab your elderly family member’s attention. Make sure that there’s a comfortable table and chair to eat at and use a tablecloth or placemat to dress the table up. Consider using some of those “special” dishes and tableware, too, because every meal can be a special occasion.
Make Sure She’s not Eating Alone
Eating alone can be a tremendous problem for aging adults. If your elderly family member has never really eaten by herself, then suddenly having no one to eat with can be extremely difficult. Consider making it a point to spend meal times with your aging adult. If you can’t do that, then ask if other family members can do so. Another option is to hire home care providers to help with meal preparation who can also stick around and provide companionship during the meal.
Talk to Her Doctor about Possible Medical Components
Your elderly family member may also have medical reasons that she’s not eating well. Some medications can interfere with appetite or your senior could be experiencing a new medical issue. It’s worth it to set up an appointment to figure out what may be creating this change in your elderly family member’s eating habits. Maybe just a small change or two could make a big difference in how well she’s eating.
There’s a lot that goes into helping your aging adult to eat regular, healthy meals. Make sure that you’re doing everything that you can in order to help her become a more regular eater.
If you or an aging loved-one are considering Home Care in Yorba Linda, CA, contact the caring staff at No Place Like Home Homecare today at 951-382-5266.
About Kristi Duran
Kristi Duran is the owner of No Place Like Home Homecare. Kristi started NPLH because of her absolute love for seniors. She was raised by her grandparents from the day she was born. Kristi has a special connection to seniors and understands their wishes and needs to stay independent.
Kristi has worked in the medical field for years and has seen first-hand how aging seniors want nothing more than to age in the comfort of their own home with dignity and grace. At NPLH, she and her caregivers insure that this happens.
NPLH is not a large franchise. It is a personal family owned homecare service. This insures a one on one personalized touch. Kristi is available 24 hours a day to her clients and their families.