If you are like many family caregivers, encouraging your parent to eat a healthy diet and ensuring that they get enough nutrition on a regular basis is an important part of your care efforts for them. You may have even gotten a recommendation from their doctor to help them make changes, whether that is to lose weight, to eat more, to reduce certain additives, or others, these recommendations can make a tremendous difference in your parent’s health, well-being, and quality of life. Fortunately, making simple changes to their routine can make what can seems like a daunting task much simpler.
Use these routine tips to encourage better nutrition for your senior:
- Stick to a breakfast rotation. Eating the same lunch or dinner every day or several times a week can become tedious, but breakfast tends to be a meal that lends itself to repetition. This makes it a fantastic opportunity to encourage a boost of nutrition for your parent. Choose a few a simple, delicious, satisfying, and highly nutritious meals and rotate them so that your parent is starting each day with a beneficial meal.
- Schedule meals and snacks. For some elderly adults, not getting enough nutrition is simply due to not remembering that they need to eat or not having the motivation to prepare something. Having meals and snacks as a predictable, scheduled part of their routine encourages them to eat even if they do not feel hungry.
- Create weekly events around favorite meals. Much like you might remember eating pizza on Friday night or pot roast on Sundays when you were younger, choose favorite meals and serve them on the same night every week. This gives your parents something to look forward to and also gives you the opportunity to serve a meal that is nutritious and can offer leftovers to be enjoyed later in the week.
- Make eating special. If your senior is not eating enough or is struggling to get the proper nutrition at meals, find ways to make getting additional nutrition special and enjoyable. For example, plan an afternoon tea that will allow your parent to feel elegant and spend quality time with you, while also enjoying nutritious foods and additional hydration.
Starting elderly care for your aging parent can be one of the best decisions that you can make for them if you want to encourage their highest quality of life as they age in place. An elderly home care services provider can step in to fill care gaps, provide additional companionship and support, and help your parent to live a lifestyle that is as fulfilling, engaged, and independent as possible as they age in place. These services can include everything from safe and reliable transportation, assistance with tasks such as running errands, physical support to assist with mobility issues, help with keeping the home clean, personal care tasks, and more. As their family caregiver this can give you a tremendous sense of peace of mind knowing that your loved one is in good hands both when you are with them and when you are not.
If you or an aging loved one are considering hiring elderly care in Charleston, SC, contact Heart of the Carolinas Home Care at 864-991-3116. Providing Home Care Services in Greenville, Simpsonville, Greer, Anderson, Spartanburg, Mauldin, Seneca, Laurens, Charleston, Columbia and the surrounding areas.
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