Care for Seniors and Help Your Senior Loved One Stick to a Nutrition Plan
Visiting Angels of Conway, AR, promotes health and wellness in our quality care for seniors.
Sticking to a nutrition plan is difficult for most adults, but this goal becomes more important and more challenging for aging seniors. With age, nutrition has a more significant impact on health and well-being. Proper care for seniors frequently includes following a nutrition plan from their physician, which may be critical for health and longevity. Medical conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease create the necessity of a specific diet. A healthy diet certainly improves how a senior feels daily and encourages a sense of well-being.
Nutrition Challenges for Seniors
The effects of aging often make following a nutrition plan overwhelming for seniors for a variety of reasons, including:
Physical Considerations
As we age, our bodies transform in many ways. Taste buds, thirst indicators, and the digestive system are altered. Reading food labels becomes more regular and challenging exercise might become more demanding, and metabolism slows. As a result, fewer calories are necessary. Nutrient-rich foods are essential to ensure good health. Seniors may lose their appetite or fail to drink enough water, and become dehydrated. Additionally, various medications may affect appetite or interact adversely with particular foods.
Memory Factors
Many seniors struggle with memory loss, which makes following a nutrition plan even more difficult. Both overeating and skipping meals occur when a senior is unable to remember eating.
Aging adults have a hard time remembering the doctor’s instructions and may eat food that interacts with medications or exacerbates a condition. For example, seniors may forget that too much salt in their diet will increase blood pressure.
Psychological Considerations
After a lifetime of being independent, it is often emotionally challenging for a senior to follow nutritional instructions, even when they know it is suitable for their well-being. Depression and anxiety are common among seniors as they get used to their limitations and a new set of guidelines. Grocery shopping and meal preparation may also present difficulties. All of these factors can become overwhelming for seniors and family members.
How Professional Care for Seniors May Help
Family members should encourage their senior loved ones to follow a healthy diet, especially when medical advice dictates the need for a specific meal plan. Unfortunately, there are times when it’s difficult for a family member to take on the role of policing everything consumed. Realistically, the seniors must decide for themselves whether they will follow a prescribed diet. The constant reminders may lead to resentment and depression for both the senior and the family members. Visiting Angels has a team of senior caregivers experienced in helping aging clients and their families follow important nutrition guidelines through the following:
Companionship
A vital aspect of our care for seniors is providing a trusted companion. Meals are no longer arduous, lonely affairs when a caregiver is present. Help with meal preparation and clean up, plus a friendly companion to share the meal and provide conversation makes an enormous difference in the lives of seniors.
Encouragement
We all benefit when we have our cheerleaders in our corner. Gentle reminders such as encouraging water consumption and regular meals, plus keeping track of prescribed supplements, and simply making mealtime enjoyable, are all part of our quality care for seniors.
A Vital Helping Hand
Non-medical care plays a vital role in the daily lives of seniors. Help with tasks such as grocery shopping, transportation, meal preparation, and light cleaning is paramount to your loved one’s well-being. Family members and friends are not always available to lend a helping hand, so a professional caregiver can lighten the load and brighten the day of your senior while making your life easier.
Following a proper nutrition plan is particularly challenging for seniors but critical for their overall health and wellness. You don’t have to struggle through this process with your senior loved one. Contact Visiting Angels of Conway to learn how our compassionate caregivers can help!
