Homecare in Lorton VA: Boosting Your Senior’s Appetite

A decreased appetite is just one of the many changes the elderly face as they age.  If your mom or dad just isn’t as hungry and is losing weight, it can be concerning.

Here are three tips for making sure your parent is eating enough.

1. Avoid Full Meals and Do Small Plates More Frequently

Rather than serve one large meal each day, spread meals out and have smaller meals more frequently.   Your parent will always be eating without making the stomach feels uncomfortable.  Eating frequent meals also helps regulate blood sugar levels and avoid crashes when the stomach is nearing empty.

When creating a schedule for small, frequent meals, start with breakfast just after getting up, then plan another light meal two hours later.  Space them out so that a small plate is offered every two or three hours.

2. Make Sure There’s a Companion Available for Main Meals

Many seniors eat more when they have company.  Instead of cooking a meal and then leaving your mom or dad to eat alone, sit down and share a meal and conversation.  Plan weekly or monthly family dinners where your mom or dad enjoy the company of children and grandchildren.

If you cannot always be there for meals, talk to an elder care agency.  In addition to preparing meals for your parent, a caregiver can sit down and eat with your mom or dad.

3, Try New Things

Taste buds change over time.  Your mom or dad’s lack of appetite may simply be that the foods in the cupboards, freezer, and refrigerator are no longer appealing.  Introduce new foods and see what your mom or dad really seems to enjoy.

–Create plates that have a variety of colors and textures…

For example, crunchy tortilla chips with the red, white, and green of a homemade pico de gallo appeal to the eyes and mouth.   A grilled chicken breast topped with a chutney made from blueberries and onions looks appealing and is healthy, too.  Keep introducing new foods from time to time to keep your parent from becoming bored.

Caregivers benefit your mom or dad in so many ways.  Not only will your parent have help preparing meals, but the companionship aspect is very important.  Studies find that the elderly are in better physical and mental shape when they avoid feeling lonely.  Call an elder care agency today to learn more about the services available to your mom or dad.

If you or a loved-one are considering homecare in Lorton, VA, to help with motivation and exercise each day, please contact the caring staff at Quality Health Services LLC. Call today 703-910-7081.

Senior Care in Woodbridge VA: Preventing Falls For Elderly Adults

August 22 through 26 is National Safe at Home Week.  

As a family caregiver, this is the ideal opportunity for you to learn more about the potential risks and dangers that your elderly parent might face when they are at home, and to modify your care efforts to help to reduce these risks and keep your parent safer and more secure in their home.  This not only helps to protect them from injury but also supports more independence and better mental and emotional health as they age in place.

What should you consider?

When considering safety issues for your aging parent it is important to understand the most pressing risks so that you can address them as quickly as possible.  This might cause you to ask the question “what is the leading cause of injuries for elderly adults?” The answer is falls.  According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, each year approximately 1 in every 4 older adults, equally millions of seniors, experiences a fall. Fewer than half of these will actually report their falls to their doctor, even if they cause injuries.

What are the ramifications after a fall?

Falls are not just dangerous due to the injuries that can happen as an immediate result of the fall.  Instead, the impact of a fall can linger on well after the fall, even affecting the rest of a senior’s life.  Suffering from one fall more than doubles the chances that your elderly parent will experience another fall in the near future.  This not only puts them at risk of further physical injury but can cause a mental and emotional impact as well.  Having one fall can make them afraid of suffering another, causing them to reduce their activity and engagement, which further diminishes their well-being.
It is important to note that 95 percent of hip fractures among elderly adults and a large percentage of traumatic brain injuries are caused by falls.  A senior who breaks their hip has a 50 percent increased risk of dying in the next year.

What can you do?

If you have been considering how you are able to enhance your parent’s life and ensure that they get everything that they need to remain as healthy, happy, safe, and comfortable as possible as they age in place, now may be the ideal time to start home care for them.  An in-home senior care services provider can be with your parent on a customized schedule that ensures that they always have care and support when they need it to help them manage their personal needs, address their challenges and limitations, and keep their lifestyle as active, engaged, and independent as possible.

Keeping your senior safe is one of the most important priorities that you have as a family caregiver, and entrusting a home care provider with some of your parent’s care can help you to feel more confident that your parent will be secure in their home.  When it comes to helping them to reduce their fall risk, this home care provider can be instrumental.  They can provide your parent with physical support and assistance to help them manage mobility, balance, and flexibility issues, help them to identify and address dangers in the home, and manage tasks for them that could increase fall risk.

If you or a loved-one are considering senior care Woodbridge, VA, to help with motivation and exercise each day, please contact the caring staff at Quality Health Services LLC. Call today 703-910-7081.

Sources:
Cmu.edu
Ncoa.org
Cdc.gov