What Types of Challenges Do Seniors Encounter With Nutrition?

Aging adults may find it more difficult over time to maintain balanced nutrition. This happens for a variety of different reasons. Seniors tend to face some unique challenges that affect health, energy levels, and quality of life. Figuring out how to counter these challenges can make nutrition goals easier to reach and home care services can help.

Appetite Differences

Older adults may not be as active as they once were, which can lead to changes in their appetites. Sometimes hormonal shifts are to blame, and metabolism changes can cause appetite fluctuations, too. When seniors don’t feel hungry, they may not even think about eating. One solution that can help is for seniors to track what they eat and when or if they feel hungry. Elder care providers may also notice patterns that point to what’s contributing to appetite changes.

Trouble Swallowing or Chewing

Dental issues or trouble swallowing also create some challenges around nutrition and eating a healthy diet regularly. If it’s more difficult for seniors to eat, they may gradually stop eating as much as they should. Regular dental appointments can help resolve some of these issues, but they may also help with working with an occupational or speech therapist.

Managing Chronic Health Issues

Often when seniors get a diagnosis of a chronic health condition, like high blood pressure or diabetes, their doctors also recommend a specific diet. But making those changes isn’t always easy and sometimes seniors feel so overwhelmed or restricted, that they just avoid eating. Home care providers can help them make changes to their diets without having to expend a lot of effort figuring out how to do so.

Side Effects from Medications

Many seniors take more than one medication and those side effects can really start to add up. Noticing side effects and tying them to their proper cause can be a huge help in getting relief for seniors. It also makes it easier for seniors to eat healthfully even when they’re battling those side effects. Noticing issues like nausea can help seniors make better choices, like taking medication with food to head off the unwanted effects.

Preparation Challenges

For many seniors, shopping for food, preparing meals, and even planning what to eat is just too much of a headache. This can be exacerbated if seniors are supposed to eat a special diet to manage health conditions. Home care providers can take a lot of that work on themselves, making it easier for seniors to just enjoy eating delicious and nutritious meals.

Solving These Issues

The first step in solving all of these issues is determining what’s going on. When family caregivers live far away or have multiple responsibilities, it can be tougher for them to see what’s happening in real-time. Home care providers have experience that helps them see potential issues and recommend solutions.

Healthy eating is the key to helping seniors to stay healthier overall. Home care providers can be a huge source of support for seniors who want to address their biggest challenges related to getting proper nutrition from their diets.

If you or an aging loved one is considering Home Care in Sacramento, CA, please contact the caring staff at Aging Assistant today at (916) 897-4752