How Can You Help Your Elderly Loved One Start Eating Right?
Elder Care in Higley AZ
Helping your elderly loved one to eat right can seem challenging. If you approach the process the right way, however, it becomes much easier than you thought it could be.
Get Organized
Before you get started, you need to make sure you have all the information that you need. If your loved one needs a special diet, it's important to get all that information from her doctor. Once you know what you're up against, you can start to make other plans.
Make a Few Lists
Now that you know what your loved one's requirements are, you can start to make some lists. Jot down first of all what your elderly loved one is interested in eating. You can also make a list of foods that you want to incorporate into her diet. Another list that you might find handy is one of the types of foods that your loved one absolutely won't eat.
Make Sure There's a Variety
Once you have your meal plan ideas, start to look at whether there's a good bit of variety in the plans. You don't want to encourage your loved one to get stuck in a rut. If you do notice that there's not a lot of variety, look at ways to switch up the meal plans with ideas from the lists that you made earlier.
Shop the Outer Edges of the Store
When you do make it to the grocery store with your list, stick to the outer edges of the store as much as possible. This means that you'll be buying more fresh foods and less processed and prepackaged foods. Shopping around the edges puts you in the meat, dairy, and produce departments rather than deep in the canned and boxed food aisles.
Rotate the Food
After shopping, it's time to put everything away. Put newer foods behind older foods so that you can naturally rotate your loved one's food with the older foods getting used first. Be sure to check the expiration dates so that you can get rid of foods right away that are outside of their "best by" timeframe.
If you're not able to shop with your loved one, ask other family members or her elder care providers to go with her.
If you or your loved one could benefit from elder care in Higley, AZ and the surrounding areas, contact the caregivers at Right at Home East Valley Phoenix. Call (480) 632-1100 for more information.
