We are what we eat, and eating a well-balanced diet high in nutritional value, fiber and immune-supporting antioxidants is essential to us all, but even more so as we age.
Yet, eating becomes less something we enjoy and more a chore as we get older. There are many reasons for this. Eating alone just doesn’t inspire us to eat as healthily or as often, medications or health treatments may interfere with appetite and often come with dietary restrictions. Physical problems with digestion, lack of exercise, diabetes and even depression can all affect our eating habits.
Getting elderly adults to eat is often a great source of stress for family caregivers, so we’ve compiled some helpful hints to hopefully make mealtime more enjoyable and “productive.” Celebrate National Nutrition Month by considering some of these hints. Let us know what you think by leaving comments below!
7 Helpful Hints to Encourage Elderly to Eat:
- Water, water everywhere. Lack of water leads to appetite suppression and is required for almost every bodily function.
- Keep meals smaller. Instead of three large meals a day, think six smaller meals, just make sure they’re healthy and not snack traps.
- Bulk up calories with each meal. Add protein powder to shakes or drinks, shredded veggies to scrambled eggs, skim milk powder for calcium to pasta sauce, or a soybean paste called miso as a soup base for all the health benefits that come with it.
- Get their teeth checked. Maybe they can’t chew or are in pain, which is affecting what they can eat. Soft foods are better here.
- Put the power in their hands. Get their suggestions of what to eat and have them help out in the process as they can. Along with feeling more in-control, they may enjoy the eating process more if they’ve had input.
- Improve the dining experience. Soft music, attractive garnishes, calm discussion and consistent meal times all make for a routine of comfort.
- Make it tasty. Don’t rely on salt to improve taste. Experiment with kitchen herbs and sodium-reduced sauces for taste enhancement.
RELATED POSTS & RESOURCES:
Senior Nutrition – An informative article from The Help Guide
Caregivers Give Comfort Feedings For Alzheimer’s Care – Premier Homecare Services blog
Healthy Eating for Seniors – Article from Nutrition.com
Leave a Reply
7 Responses to Helpful Hints to Encourage Elderly to Eat
March 31st, 2012 at 10:31 am |
“Hey admin
, I really liked the part when you discussed the 7 hints for encouraging the elderly people to eat, and especially the 3rd and 5th hint. Really helped me personally. You think you could make a post about the best protein powder for men, specially for elder people? I would have loved to read that!”
April 2nd, 2012 at 10:14 am |
Being as a home care professional this tips are very useful for me as dealing with elderly people is a challenging job for everyone as they are not able to tell you each and every situation properly.
April 14th, 2012 at 1:52 pm |
I view something truly interesting about your weblog so I saved to favorites .
April 27th, 2012 at 1:08 pm |
Simple but effective tips. I believe that letting them choose what to eat is the best way. With that you can be sure that they really like and will eat what you serve
May 30th, 2012 at 3:19 am |
the blog is really helpful for those who are having a hard time encouraging their elder relatives to eat because it gives them idea on how to encourage elders to eat
June 19th, 2012 at 7:40 am |
These tips are so effective in the manner of dieting plan. At the elder age we need more control on the diet because it can affect the digestion system.
April 24th, 2013 at 1:22 am |
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