How to Figure Out How Well Your Senior Is Eating
Nutrition is a huge issue for most aging adults. If your senior isn’t eating enough or is eating foods that aren’t giving her what she needs, that’s going to cause problems for her.
Have a Conversation with Your Senior’s Doctor
It’s a good idea to start with your senior’s doctor. Talk about what your elderly family member should really be eating in terms of both types of foods and quantities of those foods. Depending on her health issues, your elderly family member may need to avoid foods that like bread or cereal that is gluten-free, for instance. Talking with her doctor gives you a place to start your quest.
Consider Working with a Nutritionist
Something else to consider might be working with a nutritionist, especially if your elderly family member has complications that make nutrition difficult. If she has specific allergies or preferences, for instance, that can keep your elderly family member from eating as healthy as she really could or should. You might only need an appointment or two with a nutritional expert to get what you need.
Start a Food Journal with Her
One of the best ways to keep track of your senior’s nutritional intake is with a food journal. There are a few ways you can do this. The easiest might involve just a small spiral notebook and a pen. The downside with that is that if you’re tracking grams of intake, you’ll need to calculate those yourself. Apps and websites that offer nutritional tracking keep track of that sort of information for you automatically. All you or your senior would need to do is keep track of the amount of each food.
Review the Food Journal with Your Senior
A food journal really shines when you review that data that you’re tracking. With an app or website, you might get a weekly report that tallies up grams of protein and carbohydrates, for instance. Or you might also be keeping track of how your senior feels after her meals. When you and she review that information together, you can get a better idea what is working for her and what isn’t so that you can make adjustments.
Part of the problem your senior might be having with eating both enough and the right foods is that it’s complicated to cook for herself. If her health is making the effort of cooking more exhausting for her, that’s another layer of the issue. Hiring senior care providers to take over those tasks for her can be a huge factor in helping her to get better nutrition.
If you or an aging loved one is considering hiring Senior Care Services in Wyoming OH, please contact the caring staff at Queen City Elder Care today. Serving Cincinnati and Surrounding Communities. Call Us Today (513) 510-4410.
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