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Nutrition For The Elderly
When people age the senses of taste and smell are reduced with age so food is less appealing and satisfying. Food that they once liked may be too tart or not salty or sweet enough. Chewing and swallowing problems can develop because less saliva is produced. Add trouble with their teeth or dentures and eating can become a drudgery. Because of this your elderly parents may not be meeting their nutritional needs. Our mother thinks she can survive on potato chips, cookies and ice cream! If your elderly parents do not have a nutritious diet find out if there is a meal program for seniors in town such as meals on wheels. That way you are guaranteeing one meal a day that is well balanced. If they do not have such a program, check out Delicious Chef-Prepared Meals at Home Bistro
they have gourmet dinners sure to please the most finicky! If your elderly parent needs a special diet they offer low carb, low fat, low sodium and even meals for diabetics. They go from freezer to table in ten minutes.
If you live close enough to visit them at least once a week make shopping part of your visit that way you can suggest alternatives to substitute for what they might just be totally bored of. Who wouldn't be tired of broccali after 80 years? I know, it is very rich in cancer fighting antioxidents, and a good source of fiber, but I still do not want to eat it more then twice a month! They should include high fiber foods every day in their diet to avoid the need for laxatives. They will take the laxatives at the drop of a hat. High fiber foods, NO! Because of the tartness of many fresh fruits my mother prefers and will eat canned fruits daily they may not be as nutritious as fresh fruit but they are not totally empty calories. Find out what your elderly parents will eat, and help them plan a nutritional diet around the foods they like. If you write the menus down on their calender maybe they will follow it most of the time. Also, though my mothers diet may have much to be desired she is physically fit for being 83, with no diabetes issues, she works hard in the yard and still needs the calories that she gets from ice cream, (yogurt is okay occasionally but it is not ice cream) as she just will not eat that big a meal anymore so I try not take all the fun out of eating for her, but I do stress that she needs to have a bowl of oatmeal, or a banana with milk for breakfast instead of chips! Then a well balanced dinner in the early afternoon.
Make sure your elderly parent is drinking six to eight glasses of water daily. If they get tired of water find a artifically sweetened green tea they like. If they have issues with incontinence this is harder to get them to do as they may be worried about not making it to the bathroom. Whenever we travel my mother drinks less liquids whereas I am parched and could drink a gallon of water when it is hot. Who cares if I have to find a bathroom every half hour! Of course I can still run!
To avoid bone loss we need to get 15 minutes of sun daily, and get calcium from milk, soy products, legumes and greens that are high in nutrition. Even if they are not able to garden any more they can certainly sit in a comfortable chair and enjoy the sunshine and fresh air for a little while every day.
Doctors are no longer telling us that we can meet all our nutritional needs with our diets. So we have a liquid vitamin and mineral supplement in the morning and with our main meal we take flax which is good for building bones, all the B vitamins and vitamin C. My mother does have osteoporosis but has actually improved her bone mass with this regimene. Of course this is my mother and your parent may have different health concerns so it is allways wise to talk with your elderly parents physician if possible to find out their suggestion for vitamin intake and the nutritional needs of your parent.
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