As someone gets older, they are more likely to develop chronic conditions. They might get Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, hip pain, diabetes, or other problems. Many of these conditions will make eating quite tough. Their metabolism might change and their appetite might be reduced, as well. There may even be dietary restrictions the person needs to stick to with certain conditions, too. With this being said, these conditions may increase the risk of malnutrition in the elderly. If you are one of the family caregivers for an elderly person, there are some things you should know.
Going to the Stores
There are many ways that the above-mentioned and other conditions can affect your loved one’s ability to get to the stores. They may not be able to drive if their condition is affecting their eyesight or their physical state-of-being. The weather may increase their pain, as well. In addition, many seniors live too far from the store, so that can lead to malnutrition, too. If you want to help your loved one with going to the store, you might need to hire elder care providers to help them out.
Navigating the Store
Malnutrition may become an issue because your loved one can’t navigate the store properly either. They may have trouble reaching up to get items that are healthy for them. They may have a tough time pushing the cart around, as well. Another problem many senior citizens have is that it is difficult to shop for one person. They may by unhealthy items because buying nutritious meals seems too much to make for just one person. You may have to hire an elder care provider to help your loved one to navigate the stores and prepare their meals.
Reduced Senses
As someone gets older, they may have reduced senses, as well. This may cause them not to notice when their food is spoiled. They may eat food that isn’t good anymore. In addition, as someone gets older food doesn’t taste as good. This can be caused by the reduction in senses.
Less Companionship
When an elderly person loses their loved ones due to old age or sickness, they may not feel like eating as much. They may feel lonely and this can cause them to have a reduction in appetite.
These are some of the things that can contribute to malnutrition in the elderly. If you are taking care of an elderly loved one, be sure you help them with their shopping needs. You can also hire elder care providers to help them with meal preparation, transportation to grocery stores, or to eat meals with them. Elder care providers can help to reduce malnutrition in the elderly in many ways. You can help, too.
If you or someone you know needs hiring Homecare in Rochester, MN, contact Adara Home Health Care. We provide quality and affordable home care services for many fragile or senior members in the communities we serve. Call us at (888) 660-5772 for more information.
Source
Mayoclinic.org