Elderly Care in Fountain Valley CA

When you’re a family caregiver for an elderly loved one, it’s sometimes difficult to cope with times when she may have no real appetite. It’s difficult to watch someone that you love refuse foods Elderly-Care-Fountain-Valley-CAregularly, and it’s natural to worry that her health could suffer. Here are some things that you can try to see if they help to improve your loved one’s appetite.

Don’t Pressure Your Loved One

When your elderly loved one doesn’t have much of an appetite, it’s easy to start pressuring her to eat. You’re concerned about her, so it’s natural to prod until she gives in. The problem is that this can often backfire and have the opposite effect altogether. If she’d rather eat small snack-style meals throughout the day, let it go. The goal here is to get healthy, nutritious foods into her diet as often as possible.

Offer Foods She Likes

You’re more likely to have luck with helping your elderly loved one eat if the foods that she likes are readily available. If that means some junk food is around, then that’s something you’ll have to deal with to a certain extent. Of course have healthy food options, such as fruits and vegetables, available, too, but don’t refuse her the foods that she will eat.

Set Up a Routine

Sometimes having a routine for meals and snacks can help quite a bit when your elderly loved one doesn’t have much of an appetite. Often even if she thinks she isn’t hungry at all, a few bites of food can help to convince her body that it’s time to eat. Offer a mix of high-quality foods that she likes and don’t pressure her if she’s genuinely not able to eat more than a little bit. If she’s even eating a small portion of nutritious foods, that’s something.

Enlist Help

If your loved one’s problems with her appetite last for a while, it’s probably a good idea to mention the issue to her doctor. He can help to rule out any medical considerations or sort out what could be a side effect of medication. From there, you can also try other options, such as having a senior care provider come in to cook meals for your loved one. A change in cooks can jump start appetite if your loved one is just in the mood for something just a little different.

For whatever reasons, we all go through phases when our appetite just isn’t there. Hang in there with your loved one and try a few changes to see if they help.

If you or an aging loved one are considering elderly care in Fountain Valley, CA or the surrounding Orange County areas, please call us at 949-535-2211.  We provide senior care services in Newport Beach, Costa Mesa, Huntington Beach, Irvine, Laguna Woods, Laguna Beach, Mission Viejo and surrounding areas of Orange County California.  Contact us today to learn more.