If your senior mom is living alone and you’re worried she’s not eating enough, there are things that you can do to encourage her to eat. Very often senior women who live alone don’t cook meals for themselves. After a lifetime of cooking meals for their families, they don’t know how to cook for just one person. And in other cases senior women aren’t cooking for themselves because they have little appetite. They get by on snacks and light meals.
Medication, illness, and other factors can affect your mom’s appetite as well, but home care assistance can help! If your senior mom has home care assistance someone will be in the house with her to cook meals with her, share meals with her, and help her plan and shop for groceries.
Some things that you can do to boost your mother’s appetite and get her to eat more are:
Stock The Pantry With Nutrient Dense Foods
Buy groceries that are high in vitamins, minerals, and protein. Include plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats so that your mom has a varied and healthy diet. You can order groceries online and have them delivered to your mom’s home if you don’t have time to shop yourself.
Offer Small, Frequent Meals
Encourage your mom to eat smaller, more frequent meals throughout the day rather than large, heavy meals. She may eat more and make better food choices if she’s snacking throughout the day. Offer her fruit, veggies and dip, protein-filled snacks like cottage cheese or yogurt, and other healthy meals and snacks.
Provide Finger Foods and Easy-to-Eat Options
If your mom isn’t eating enough because eating is physically hard for her, giving her finger foods, soft foods, and other easy-to-eat options will encourage her to eat more. Often easy snacks and meals can be prepared quickly or bought at the store. A fruit tray full of fruit that’s already been washed up and sliced is great for seniors. Veggie trays filled with a selection of seasonal vegetables and dip are another good choice. Cubed cheese and crackers, Greek yogurt with fruit, charcuterie boards with meat and cheese, and many other options make it much easier for seniors to get the nutrition they need.
Offer Her Favorite Foods
If your mom isn’t eating enough, most likely trying to convince her to eat more isn’t going to work unless you make her food more appetizing. Start making her favorite meals and dishes to entice her to eat. You don’t have to make fancy meals daily, but choosing ingredients that she loves to make healthy meals will really help meals be more interesting to her.
Be Flexible with Meal Times
Be flexible with meal times and accommodate her schedule and preferences. Offer meals and snacks at times when she's most hungry and alert and allow her to eat at her own pace without feeling rushed.
If you or an aging loved one are considering home care in Winter Garden, FL, please contact the caring staff at Homewatch CareGivers of Winter Garden today! (689) 267-3005
Homewatch CareGivers of Winter Garden provides exceptional home care for seniors in Winter Garden, Winter Park, Ocoee, Apopka, Lake Mary, Longwood, Maitland, Casselberry, Celebration, Windermere, and surrounding areas.
