There is an alarming number of senior citizens who consume fewer than 1000 calories per day. As people age, their bodies will be needing fewer nutrients, but consuming less than 1000 calories will put these elderly citizens at risk for malnutrition. Senior citizens will have varying dietary and nutritional needs than younger individuals. This is why knowing the dietary requirements will go a long way in terms of making sure your elder loved ones stay healthy.
As the caregiver, you can take specific steps to ensure that your loved ones will be kept out of the frighteningly malnourished group of seniors. This blog post will share information about malnutrition in elder individuals and what you can do about it.
Specific Ways You Can Help Your Elders Avoid Malnutrition
Even if the risk of malnutrition is more severe for older people, there are vital things you can do, as their caregiver, to help them keep healthy. Here is a list of the best practices that you can do to encourage good health for your senior loved ones.
1 – Prepare Their Meals
Doing their grocery shopping and cooking their meals for them will ensure that they get the nutrients they need from the food they consume. Cooking the food will allow you to control the sodium and sugar content that goes into the food you serve to them.
2 – Practice Healthy Snacking
Eating healthy snacks in between meals will also contribute to getting the health and nutrition levels of your loved ones to an optimal level. Buying fruit cups, veggie snacks, and other healthy in-between meal options instead of potato chips and other highly processed snacks is a good choice.
3 – Keep Them Active
Encouraging them to take a walk or do a little exercise will help improve their metabolism and mental health. This will help them have a better appetite during meals. Regular exercise will also help them have healthy blood circulation and help them stay healthy.
4 – Talk to Their Doctor
It is also a good idea to talk to their doctor, especially during times when you notice that their appetite is different from the norm. Some medications may get in the way of getting proper nutrition because they will lose their appetite because food may taste “different.”
5 – Keep Them Happy
Keeping them in a happy disposition will also contribute to good health and proper nutrition in the long run. Happy seniors will be easier to feed and will complain less as you encourage them to finish their food.
Conclusion
Malnutrition in older adults is more prevalent in comparison to younger individuals because there are so many factors that may affect how older people get nutrition. They may have dementia or depression that may come in the way of their eating habits. This is why every bit of effort comes in helping your senior loved ones during meal times. Also, working with a reliable home care provider will help you in your quest to keep your older family members avoid malnutrition.
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