Malnourishment occurs far more often in aging adults than you might think. Your own elderly family member might be missing key nutrients in his diet. These clues might be helpful while you’re determining what is going on.
Check His Fridge and Pantry
Your senior’s fridge, freezer, and pantry can let you quickly understand what he’s likely eating and how often he might be eating. If you’re seeing a lot of packaged foods, he’s relying on convenience. If you’re not seeing much food at all, there could be several reasons for this. It’s important to get to the bottom of that issue as quickly as you can.
Talk to Him about What he’s Eating
The best way to learn about what your elderly family member is eating is simply to ask him. If he doesn’t want to talk about it or he seems to be dodging the question, he may feel embarrassed about his nutritional choices. Be gentle with your aging adult and let him know that you’re concerned about whether he’s getting the right amount of nutrients in his diet.
Look at What He’s Doing and Not Doing
Another clue that can let you know how well your senior is eating can be looking at what he’s doing in other areas of his life. If he’s always been active and on the go, but suddenly isn’t, that can be a big clue. Energy levels are closely tied with nutritional levels. Talk to your senior about how he’s feeling. This line of questioning can help you to determine if you need to probe deeper into his nutritional choices.
Find Ways to Ensure Your Senior Is Eating
You might think that stocking up your senior’s cupboards would be enough to take care of the nutritional issues he’s facing. But that only tackles a portion of the problem. Your senior may find cooking to be too difficult or frustrating, for instance. You might want to eat more meals with him to help your senior to feel less alone during meals. Hiring elderly care providers to help him with meal preparation and cleanup can help him to conserve energy to do what he wants to do.
Malnourishment leads to a variety of health issues, so it’s important to address these concerns as soon as you possibly can. Talk to his doctor about what your aging family member should be eating and how much food is right for him on a daily basis.
If you or an aging loved one is considering Home Health Care in Alexandria, VA, please contact the caring staff at Access Home Care Inc. Proudly Serving Northern Virginia and Surroundings for over 12 years. Call Us: (703) 765-9350
“My desire to enter into nursing started when one of my older sisters died of kidney disease due to lack of care. At age 15, I decided to enter into nursing so that I could provide quality care to patients.Upon arrival in United States at 21 years of age, I enrolled in T.C Willliams School of Practical Nursing while working as a nursing assistant at a nursing home. I also worked as a part-time home health aide to take of the elderly. After completion of my practical nurse education, I worked in geriatric psychiatry unit at Dominion Hospital and Arlington Correctional facility mental health unit.
I completed Marymount University in 2001 and entered into Home Care as a field case manager.
I held that position for 2 years and as an Administrator, and for another 2 years until Access Home Care was found in 2004."
Today, Access Home Care has over 300 employees and 286 clients.
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