If you notice your loved ones are losing their appetite, you may be very concerned. In fact, poor eating habits in individuals above the age of 65 put them at a higher risk of malnutrition and other health problems. Understand why your loved ones could lose their appetite so that you can help them enjoy their golden years. Discover how you can restore their appetite as fast as possible with five simple tips. First, let’s go into why your parents may lose their appetite suddenly.
Illnesses
Certain types of illness may cause them to lose their appetite. This includes diseases like cancer, salivary gland issues, and Alzheimer’s disease.
Side Effects from Medication
If your loved ones are currently taking medications for their illnesses, they may be suffering side effects from their medication. This may decrease their appetite or even put them off food.
Poor Oral Health
Dental problems like poor dentition and dentures that do not fit well may cause loved ones to find it difficult to swallow, chew or eat their food. This can lead to a loss of appetite.
Here are five tips to help your loved one regain their appetite.
Encourage Regular Mealtimes
If your loved ones do not have regular mealtimes, you can encourage them to eat at a certain time. This will help them to ensure that they are hungry during mealtimes.
Provide Smaller Servings of Food
To ensure that your loved ones eat well, you can provide them with smaller portions of food. Ensure that the food you serve is nutritious so that they can get adequate amounts of nutrition. You may want to serve finely chopped cheese, meat, eggs so that your loved ones can still eat well.
Make Meals Easy to Eat
Your parents may be reluctant to eat if they are unable to use utensils to eat their food. So, if your loved ones are suffering from poor motor coordination, try to provide them with adaptive utensils. You can also prepare finger foods for your loved ones.
Increase Consumption of Healthy Snacks
Do your loved ones prefer to snack? If yes, try to provide nutritious snacks for them to eat.
Eat Easy-To-Digest Food
Chewing may become difficult for your loved ones when they enter their golden years. You can also consider serving liquid, bite-sized food, and soft foods so that they can eat better during mealtimes.
With these five tips, you can encourage your loved ones to regain their appetite. Remember, if one tip does not work, do try another one. However, we at SummerHouse Heritage Woods understand that it may be hard to help your loved ones eat well. They may even require further assistance with their daily life. If you require more assistance to help your loved ones achieve a great quality of life in their golden years, we at SummerHouse Heritage Woods would be more than happy to provide further assistance to your loved one today! With personalized care, your loved one will have a great time in SummerHouse Heritage Woods.
