5 Ways To Get Your Senior Parent To Eat More
Home care assistance can help seniors with meal prep and support to ensure they eat enough.
If your senior parent is losing weight because they aren’t eating enough, there are ways that you can encourage them to eat more. Making sure that your mom or dad stays at a healthy weight is crucial because it will affect both their long-term and short-term health.
It will also help if you can identify why your mom or dad isn’t eating regular meals anymore. If their health has changed, you should take them to see a doctor. If their medication makes them lose their appetite, you should inform their doctor.
If your mom or dad feels uneasy about their safety in the kitchen, so they don’t want to cook, or if they don’t like eating alone, home care assistance can help. With home care assistance, your mom or dad will have someone with them every day who can help them cook or cook for them. A home care assistance provider can share meals with them to make it fun and social.
In addition to getting home care assistance, you can also try these methods to get your mom or dad to eat more:
1. Prep Easy-to-Heat Meals
A great way to encourage your mom or dad to eat is to prepare meals that are easy to heat up or assemble. You, or a home care assistance provider, can make larger batches of food, such as soups, casseroles, or stews, and divide them into portions that can be quickly reheated.
Stock your mom or dad’s kitchen with simple, healthy snacks, too. Foods like yogurt, cheese, fruit, nuts, vegetables, or dried fruit that require no preparation are a good source of accessible calories. Pre-packaged, nutritious meals from a meal service that just need heating are another good option.
2. Serve Small, Frequent Meals
Instead of three large meals a day, try offering smaller, more frequent meals throughout the day. If your mom or dad has low appetite, they may be more comfortable eating smaller portions throughout the day instead of having three large meals.
You can also offer healthy snacks every few hours, such as mixed nuts, crackers with cheese, or peanut butter. Keeping a steady stream of food available can help boost their calorie intake.
3. Make Meals Appealing
The appearance and smell of food play a big role in how much someone eats. Make meals visually appealing by using colorful vegetables and different textures. A plate full of different colors and shapes can look more appetizing and encourage your parent to eat.
If your parents are bored or uninterested in food, you can also make eating more exciting by preparing dishes they enjoy or have fond memories of. Including some of their favorite foods may increase their interest in eating. To boost calorie intake, make these meals more calorie-dense by adding butter, cream, or oil to recipes when appropriate.
4. Encourage Hydration with High-Calorie Drinks
Sometimes, seniors may not feel like eating solid foods, but they might still be open to drinking liquids. High-calorie drinks, like smoothies, milkshakes, or nutritional drinks, are great alternatives to food that will give your mom or dad more calories.
Offering a variety of drinks that your parents enjoy—like milk, fruit juices, or even hot chocolate—can also help them stay hydrated while boosting their calorie count.
5. Create a Routine Around Meals
Having a regular eating schedule can help establish healthy habits. If your senior parent forgets meals or loses track of time, a routine can help.
Try setting specific times for meals and snacks and set reminders on their phone or with a calendar. If they tend to skip meals, you can set up a daily checklist or even a meal-tracking app to help them stay on track.
If you or someone you know needs help with Home Care Assistance in Hudsonville, MI, contact Gauthier Family Home Care. We provide quality and affordable home care services in our community. Call us at (616) 560-4057 for more information.
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