For our senior loved ones, having regular mealtimes is key to good health and nutrition. However, mealtimes can become less enjoyable as they age due to a diminished sense of taste or smell as well as a lack of appetite caused by health issues.
We know this too well as a provider of home care assistance in Snellville, Georgia at Inspire To Serve LLC. Fortunately, there are ways you can make mealtimes more enjoyable for them. By doing so, you can ensure that they can stay on top of their health in their golden years.
Here are some of the measures we use in our home care agency ourselves:
- Make mealtimes social
Inviting a friend over mealtimes is often more enjoyable than eating alone. However, since always having someone isn’t practical, consider getting companion and sitter services who can assist them and provide company during mealtimes.
- Take their preferences
Get your senior loved one food they genuinely enjoy—yes, even if they’re less healthy than you would like it to be. What you can do is supplement their meals to make them healthier.
- Limit distractions
Turn off the TV and other potential causes of distraction so they can focus on their meals.
- Make adjustments
No appetite? Cut down your senior loved one’s servings into smaller portions. Dry mouth? Swish with an oral rinse for dry mouth or have them chew sugarless gum to get saliva flowing.
- Make food tastier
But don’t use salt- and sugar-laden condiments; instead, opt for herbs and aromatics, and honey to turn up the taste of their meals.
Need help adopting these measures? We offer personal care assistance in Georgia delivered by our caregivers to help you make these adjustments.
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