Health issues, medication side effects, and lack of appetite, among other factors, can cause our seniors to not finish their meals or even skip them altogether, something that they simply cannot do without at their age.
Aside from making mealtimes one of the more challenging tasks that family caregivers may do on the daily, poor eating habits can cause significant health risks.
This is a familiar situation to us as providers of home care services in San Leandro, California ourselves at Thrive Home Care. That is why we are listing down some tips you can use to improve their mealtime experience. Here are some of them:
- Empower their choices
Ask about their food preferences. It is ok to get them the food they genuinely enjoy even if they are not as healthy as you would like them to be. You can always supplement their meals or transform their choices to make them healthier. - Improve communication
Your seniors may not be able to express their needs as much as they could before. Be patient and try different ways when communicating with them. - Set the ambiance
Strive to make their mealtimes peaceful and pleasant. Turn off the TV and other sources of distraction so they can focus on eating. - Hire a meal planning and preparation services provider
Preparing meals is more complex and time-consuming than it looks. With a professional meal preparation provider, you don’t have to worry about grocery shopping, cooking, and clean-up. You can also rest assured that they will follow your senior’s doctor’s recommendations consistently while making sure every dish is appetizing.
We offer this as part of our home care assistance in California. Know more about the service by getting in touch with us.
