Understanding Malnutrition
Proper nutrition plays a critical role in our overall health. However, many older adults aren’t getting the appropriate nourishment, putting them at risk for malnutrition.
What is Malnutrition?
Malnutrition is when the body isn’t getting the proper nutrients it needs to function. Undereating or eating unhealthy foods can lead to malnutrition as well as your body’s inability to process certain foods. Symptoms of malnutrition include fatigue, dizziness, and weight loss. If left untreated, it can cause severe physical harm.
Who is at Risk?
It’s crucial to understand that someone doesn’t have to be underweight to be malnourished. If someone is eating many processed foods and nothing else, they’re likely, not underweight but overweight. However, because the foods they’re consuming aren’t providing the proper nutrients the body needs to function, their bodies can start to shut down due to malnutrition.
Malnutrition can develop in anyone. Seniors with health conditions that suppress their appetites or undergo specific treatments that make eating difficult are at a higher risk of malnutrition. If you believe you or a loved one is malnourished, talk to your doctor about ways to get your body the substance it needs.
Seniors living with dementia are also at risk for malnutrition. Dementia can make it difficult for seniors to remember to eat. It also makes it harder for them to make the right food choices. Depression and alcoholism are also risk factors for developing malnutrition.
Caring For a Malnourished Loved One
If you think your aging loved one may be malnourished, there are steps you can take to get their nutrition on track.
- Talk to their doctor- The first thing you should do if you think your loved one is malnourished is to talk to their doctor. The doctor can identify the cause of malnutrition and provide you with resources and guidance on the best ways to keep your loved one healthy.
- Help them plan meals- Sometimes malnutrition happens because your loved one isn’t sure what types of food to eat. Help them learn about nutritious foods and spend time with them to prepare weekly meals. You can even accompany them to the grocery store and help them cook to keep their eating habits on track.
- Schedule eating times- For most people, eating is a habit. Since we eat every day around the same time, it’s routine for us to eat. If your loved one is used to not eating, or doesn’t eat consistently, try helping the set mealtimes. Even if they’re not eating full meals at first, getting them in the habit of eating at a particular time every day can help encourage them to eat.
- Turn meals into social events- If you’re having difficulty getting your loved one to eat regularly, try turning mealtimes into a social event. Invite friends and families over to enjoy a weekly meal where your loved one can eat and catch up with their social circle. Even if meals are just between the two of you, keep your loved one engaged in conversation to make mealtimes feel like a more enjoyable event.
How Visiting Angels Can Help
If you or an aging loved one needs help preparing healthy and filling meals, the team at Visiting Angels Douglasville, GA could help. Our caregivers can help with meal prep, grocery shop, and cook nutritious meals to keep the body healthy. We also provide light housekeeping, companionship, personal grooming, transportation, and various other tasks to help seniors live independently.
Our Douglasville office serves those in Douglasville, Lithia Springs, Smyrna, Mableton, and the surrounding Georgia communities. If you’d like to learn more about our services or schedule a free consultation, you can complete this online form or give us a call at 678.383.1962.