Even if your loved one doesn’t suffer from dementia, they may still have memory loss and feel pressure from meal times. So as a home care provider or even an adult child, how can you make meals easier? It can seem like a challenge getting your mom or dad to eat, but when you mix in memory issues, it can be a huge obstacle that happens every single day. You can’t just let your loved one skip meals, after all!
Here are some of the best tips you or home care can use to help make mealtimes a little bit easier the next time you have to help your senior with meals.
Opt for Snacks Instead
There is something so joyful and peaceful about sitting down with your family to eat food at dinner time. However, if your senior has lost someone but can’t remember they have, they may not feel comfortable eating without their partner. Maybe they don’t remember when meals should be, or it’s something else entirely. Either way, getting them to sit down and eat at the right time can be almost impossible. Instead of forcing your loved one to do something they may not want to do, encourage them to eat nutritious snacks throughout the day. This will help ensure they get adequate calories and all the necessary vitamins and minerals. Sometimes snacking can be the right answer when it comes to senior care.
Cook Their Comfort Foods
Maybe your loved one grew up eating clam chowder or cornbread, whatever their comfort food is, try cooking it for them. They may not be able to cook for themselves, but they may still have a preference for what they eat. If you have been struggling to get them to sit down and eat at dinnertime, maybe you’re not cooking food they find interesting. Often meals can be connected with memories or at least feelings. So, if you cook warm comfort food, they may feel happy and content to eat with you even if they can’t remember when it is dinner time or why they like the dish so much.
Always Look at their Health
When your loved one has dementia, it is easy to blame almost everything on the disease. However, if they stop eating, this could indicate an underlying health problem. Even seniors with memory issues should consume adequate calories to stay as healthy as possible. So, if your senior stops snacking or eating altogether, it’s time to talk to their primary care doctor to see if anything else could be impacting their appetite.
Use Different Silverware
You may not know this, but when a senior suffers from dementia, they may not be able to hold utensils anymore or be unable to feed themselves. Home care may need to help your loved one by sitting down with them to feed them throughout the meal, or you may have to find different silverware for them. If you can find utensils they can hold on their own, they may like eating dinner a lot more.
If you or an aging loved one are considering Home Care Services in Smithville TN please contact the caring staff at Senior Solutions Home Care. (931) 208-1019
Senior Solutions Home Care is a Trusted Home Care Agency serving Cookeville, Algood, Baxter, Monterey, Sparta, Smithville, Livingston, Dodson Branch, Gainesboro, Putnam County, and surrounding areas.
Over the years, we have expanded, providing service in all 95 counties throughout Tennessee, and we now have a growing presence in Georgia.
Senior Solutions is recognized as a top 5% independent agency and a three-time Inc. 5000 honoree in 2018, 2019, and 2020. These types of awards matter to us because they show growth in our goal of eventually touching a million lives. We’re excited to continue that growth and to touch even more families with our commitment to quality care!
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