Elderly Care Gardena, CA: What Kinds of Challenges Might Your Senior Face Concerning Eating? 

You can absolutely help your elderly family member to eat delicious, healthy meals every day. The first step is figuring out why she’s not doing that already, though. 

She’s Having Issues Chewing or Swallowing 

It’s really difficult to eat or to be excited about eating if chewing and swallowing are giving you trouble. The same is definitely true for your senior family member. If she’s not been to the dentist in a while, now is definitely a time to get a handle on how her dental health is doing. Problems swallowing can be related to dental issues or to other health issues, so it might be a good idea to talk to her doctor. 

Food Is Completely Unappealing 

Sometimes people get older and gradually find that food just isn’t appealing. It’s not that they’re interested in only the unhealthier foods. It’s more that they’re not excited about any food at all. That doesn’t mean that your senior can just skip eating, though. You may have to work a little to find foods that she’ll eat, even when she’s not excited about eating. 

Her Senses Are Changing 

One reason that food is sometimes unappealing can be because your senior’s senses are changing. The most common culprits are the senses of smell and taste, but losing a little bit of sight can make food less appealing, too. There are ways around this, but it might mean experimenting a little bit to find the right solutions for your senior’s situation.  

She’s Got a Very Special Diet 

Depending on your elderly family member’s health issues, her doctor might recommend a specific diet. Someone with heart disease or high cholesterol might need to avoid certain foods and definitely things like excess salt. If your senior is diabetic, she might need to eat lower glycemic foods in order to keep her blood sugar within specific ranges. But that kind of strict adherence can make food feel a lot less fun than it might have been in the past. 

Cooking Is Difficult or Exhausting 

Some people have never liked cooking and your senior might number among them. When cooking wasn’t ever really fun, but now it’s exhausting or a lot more difficult, that’s a big reason to avoid it even more. Your senior might benefit from outsourcing that task. Elderly care providers can help your elderly family member to eat healthy foods, even if she’s not interested in cooking them herself. 

There are ways around all of these challenges, but the first problem is identifying what’s keeping your senior from eating. Talk to her and include her doctor in what you’re finding out. 

If you or an aging loved-one is considering Elderly Care in Gardena, CA please contact the caring staff at American Geriatric Care Management, LLC today at (310) 648-0614.