What Can You Do When You Suspect Your Senior Is Malnourished?

It might be a foreign concept at first, but many elderly family members easily become malnourished. It doesn’t take long to happen, either. Here’s what you can do when you start to worry that she might have a problem.

Ask Her Doctor for a Nutritional Screening.

To really determine what you and your elderly family member are up against, it’s vital that you ask her doctor to do a nutritional screening as soon as possible. A series of simple tests can pinpoint exactly what your senior needs in order to get the right nutrients into her body.

Work with a Nutritionist.

Your senior’s doctor may recommend a dietary path for her. While a new diet can be relatively easy to follow, you and your elderly family member might want a little more guidance. This is where working with a nutritionist on an individual level can be really beneficial. The nutritionist can help you to figure out how to help your aging family member adjust to the new eating plan and incorporate foods that she enjoys.

Shop for Her.

Take an inventory of your senior’s fridge, freezer, and pantry. Make sure that you throw out anything that is expired or otherwise inedible. Work with her to put together a menu that she’ll enjoy eating and hit the grocery store for her. Be sure to stock up on healthy staples, snacks, and menu items until you’ve got a good handle on getting her set up with plenty of good food again.

Ask What Else You Can Do.

Talk to your senior about what other help she needs or wants. It could be that standing to cook is too difficult for her now or perhaps she just finds it too complicated to actually cook just for herself. You might be able to offer the perfect solution for her, whether that means taking over the cooking duties or finding home care providers who can come in and cook for her. Your aging family member might not realize that these solutions could be an option until you talk about them.

The key to helping your senior to get past malnutrition is to take action as soon as you realize something is wrong. The quicker you take action the quicker your senior will start to experience positive results.

If you or an aging loved one are considering home care in Collegeville, PA, contact the caring professionals at Reliant At Home Care today (610) 674-6860.