Do you worry about your elderly loved one not eating enough? Perhaps you visit with her weekly to help her with chores around the home like laundry or paying the weekly bills. You might bring her a good meal or two but you notice that she just continues to get more and more thin. When you ask her if she’s eating okay, she gives a vague answer that doesn’t seem to support what you are seeing with your own two eyes each time you visit. Having companion care at home services for your loved one could help to promote healthier eating habits with the extra care they provide.
Why Seniors Stop Eating Well
For some seniors, they may stop eating enough calories each day to give them the nutrients they need to maintain their health.
There are several reasons that your senior may not eat as well as she should.
She’s lonely. Sometimes eating alone can emphasize to a person that they have no one else living with them and it causes negative feelings of isolation, causing them to stop eating to avoid those negative emotions.
She’s tired. If your loved one struggles with fatigue due to illness or a health condition, making a proper meal can seem too overwhelming, especially if it’s just for her. This can lead her to pull out a frozen meal, lacking in nutrients and full of unhealthy processed foods to curb her hunger instead of making something fresh.
She’s not hungry. Metabolism slows down as a person ages, making it less desirable to eat or eat much. While it’s okay for her calorie count to reduce in size a little, it does mean she needs to make sure the calories she is consuming are packed full of nutrients that her body needs.
She struggles with meal prep. If she has a physical condition like arthritis, it could make it difficult for her to open certain items or chop up food to prepare it. Cognitive issues may make following a recipe difficult or could cause her to be unsafe in the kitchen.
Improving Meals with Companion Care at Home
One way to help your loved one eat better is to have someone regularly come to the home to help her prepare and enjoy her meals. A companion care at home provider can do just that. Knowing that she can depend upon someone to come to her home, help her prepare her meals, and then provide company while she consumes them can make a huge difference in how and what your loved one eats.
Some benefits that having a companion join your loved one for meals include:
- Many people eat more when they sit with a friend or companion care at home provider at the table as they eat their meals.
- They’re more likely to extend the time sitting at the table, thus increasing the likelihood that they’ll eat more.
- There’s a bit of peer pressure to eat well. A companion care at home provider can encourage your loved one to finish her vegetables or drink plenty of water to stay hydrated.
- Having someone spend time sitting at a table with them can help reduce those negative emotions of isolation and loneliness while bringing back connectedness and belonging. A positive mindset can help your loved one make more healthy choices in not only what she eats but in all aspects of life.
If you or an aging loved one are considering Companion Care at Home Services in Coconut Creek FL, please contact the caring staff at Star Multi Care today. Call 954-962-0926.
Star Multi Care is a Trusted Home Care Agency in Florida including Palm Beach, Miami Dade, and Broward County.
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