10 Tips for Helping Older Seniors to Eat Enough
Getting older loved ones to eat can sometimes be very challenging. They may complain they’re just not hungry, nothing tastes good, they don’t feel well, they can’t be bothered to make a meal, they have memory issues and forget to eat, etc. Regardless of the reason, it’s imperative for their health to receive the nutrients and calories their body needs.
10 Tips for Helping Older Seniors to Eat Enough:
- 1) Offer small portions throughout the day; cut food into bite-size pieces and place on a smaller plate
- 2) Serve the largest meal when the person is at their most alert (appetite is best at that point); with elders, it’s typically in the morning for breakfast
- 3) Suggest they drink between each meal rather than with each meal; this will help them from feeling full while eating
- 4) Try stronger seasoning in foods to compensate for their decrease in taste
- 5) Offer smaller, nutrient-rich foods instead of larger, nutrient-deficient portions
- 6) Always have healthy no-preparation snacks available (yogurt, hard-boiled eggs, carrots, crackers, granola bars, or trail mix)
- 7) Remind those with memory issues to eat by posting notes with pictures on cabinets and the refrigerator
- 8) Have nutritional drinks available, such as Ensure, Boost, etc.
- 9) Consider a Meals on Wheels delivery (Mercer and Burlington County, NJ contact information)
- 10) In Mercer County, the Mercer County NJ Nutrition Project for the Elderly is another option (contact information in Mercer and Burlington County, NJ)
Tags: Chesterfield NJ senior care, Hamilton Square NJ senior care, senior nutrition, Willingboro NJ senior care
