Good Nutrition and What it Means for Your Senior
Your senior might not be getting the nutrition that she needs for so many reasons. She may have lost her sense of taste, eating may be difficult or painful, or she might simply be too exhausted to make healthy meals for herself. The problem is that when she stops eating a healthy diet, that leaves her open for malnutrition and other health issues. Here are a few tips for getting proper nutrition for your senior and how elderly care providers can help.
Vitamins, Minerals, and Other Nutrients Are Essential for Good Health
People of all ages, but especially seniors, need to get the right mix of nutrients, which includes vitamins, minerals, and other nutritional building blocks. Some of the vitamins your senior needs for good health include:
- B vitamins
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin D
- Iron
- Calcium
- Magnesium
- Omega-3 fatty acids
- And more
These nutrients serve as building blocks for your senior’s body to keep her immune system functioning, to protect her bone health, and to keep her muscles strong.
Supplements Might Be Helpful, Too
If getting nutrition from her food is difficult for your senior, she might want to consider supplements. Your senior’s doctor can help her to determine what supplements she needs and in what amounts. It’s possible to overdo it with some supplements, so that’s why it’s important to have her doctor involved. Taking supplements consistently is important.
Recognizing Malnutrition
It’s vital for you to be able to spot when your elderly family member isn’t getting enough nutrition so that you can make changes to help. Some of the more obvious signs could be that your elderly family member is fatigued more easily and is less active. She may also start to lose weight without trying to. Also, pay attention to what your senior is eating. She may be eating processed foods that offer little nutritional value, which may not give you visible signs.
Other Solutions to Help
Making homemade meals for your senior that include lots of healthy ingredients is probably the best answer, but you may not have the time you want for that. Another option is to hire elderly care providers to cook for your senior. This offers companionship, help with other tasks, and the reassurance that your senior is getting plenty of healthy foods at every meal.
Staying on top of your senior’s nutrition can help her to be healthier overall and to experience a better quality of life. Putting even one or two simple solutions in place can make a big difference for her very quickly.