Various issues, from medications and illnesses to memory problems and physical constraints, can interfere with a senior adult’s ability to maintain a balanced diet. Seniors whose dietary habits are lacking typically have an increased risk of health problems.
Food supply, however, is not the issue according to a survey conducted by the Boomer Authority [www.boomerauthority.ning.com] for Home Instead Senior Care. In fact, a vast majority of family caregivers say that their loved ones have enough food to eat. Yet only slightly more than half report their senior relatives eat nutritiously. There are indications that various factors are influencing a senior’s ability to achieve a nutritious diet.
Nutrition Adds to Family Caregiver Stress
The survey conducted by the Boomer Project discussed the role that nutrition and meal planning played in the family caregiver dynamics and determined that:
- Nearly 50% of family caregivers spend 20 or more hours a week providing assistance, with the most common tasks being grocery shopping and running errands, followed by meal preparation.
- Ensuring that a senior is eating properly is “very much a priority” for 86% of family caregivers.
- Of the family caregivers who rated their lives as stressful, 67% were providing care to a loved one who had three or more nutritional risk factors, compared with 33% of caregivers whose relatives had fewer than three risk factors.
“Keep It Simple” Advises Chef Sam Mudd
Keeping it simple while using quick, delicious and healthy recipes is the best approach to enhancing senior nutrition. Chef Sam Mudd, an instructor at Sullivan University in Louisville, KY offers this advice, “Prepare meals that are nutritious, but offer a good flavor that seniors enjoy. Country-style cooking can be modified to be much healthier. For example, just about anything you can fry can be baked.”
Chef Mudd and his wife currently prepare meals for his in-laws. Previously, he prepared meals for his mother in order to help her stay in her own home longer. With a desire to make pleasing meals for his senior family members, he has experimented with various recipes and types of food to encourage eating. One-dish meals, such as lasagna or casseroles, are some of his favorites due to ease of preparation and leftovers may be eaten another time or frozen for future consumption.
According to Chef Mudd, take-out Chinese food such as Moo Goo Gai Pan or value meal salads and baked potatoes provide quick, healthy meals for family caregivers to provide for both their own families and senior parents. When asked his advice on cooking skills, he stated that, “A good, sharp knife is the best way to be efficient in the kitchen and it’s much safer than a dull one.”
Another favorite of Chef Mudd’s when planning meals for senior adults is JELLO. “It’s great. It’s easy, seniors love it and you can add a lot of different ingredients to make it interesting and fun,” noted Chef Mudd.
At-Risk Senior Adults
Use of medications, illness and lack of companionship are some of the reasons seniors often do not eat properly. Seniors may also find grocery shopping difficult, they may feel uncomfortable in the kitchen, or they do not have the skills necessary to maintain a well-balanced diet. Eating a healthy diet takes knowledge and planning.
Research conducted by the Home Instead Senior Care network of offices throughout the country found that over half (62%) of the adult children in the U.S. said that the older adult they cared for had three or more nutritional risks including:
- Three or more prescriptions or over-the-counter drugs taken per day
- An illness or condition that has caused the senior change his or her diet
- Weight loss or gain of more than 10 pounds in the last six months, without even trying
Poor diet can lead to an unfortunate cycle of declining health. Senior adults whose diets are out of balance are at an increased risk for even more health issues.
Support from Home Instead
Home Instead Senior Care has developed an informational website [www.foodforseniors.com] that has material that can be downloaded. One tool, “Cooking Under Pressure: Great Nutrition Tips & Recipes for Seniors”, provides useful information such as the following ten warning signs that an older adult is not eating properly:
- Loss of appetite
- Little to no interest in eating out (if the senior is able to go out)
- Depression
- Sudden weight fluctuation, loss or gain
- Expired or spoiled food
- Skin tone is not healthy and well-hydrated
- Lethargy, or more inactive than usual
- Cognitive problems, such as new concentration or memory issues
- Taking more than three medications
- Having suffered a recent illness
If you have any questions about nutrition for seniors, please don’t hesitate to call Home Instead Senior Care at 515-9515.
Chef Sam Mudd, a Louisville Native, worked his way up at some of Louisville’s finer dining establishments and has held the position of Executive Chef at the Galt House’s Flagship Revolving Restaurant, Executive West Hotel and Hunting Creek Country Club. A founding member and officer of theKentucky chapter of the American Culinary Federation, he was recognized as Chef of the Year twice. A full time instructor at Sullivan University since 2000, he works with new students to help them develop important fundamental skills.
