How Can In-Home Care Workers Help Seniors with Meal Preparation?

A balanced diet is crucial to all, no matter their age. According to the CDC, healthy eating has been shown to promote eyes, skin, and teeth health. It also supports muscles, strengthens bones, and lowers the risk of several diseases. It’s evident that a quality diet is crucial to one’s overall health, and why one should help seniors with meal preparation.

However, maintaining a balanced diet isn’t always a simple feat for seniors. In a survey by National Health and Nutrition Examination, approximately 61 percent of adults over 65 have a poor diet.

Why do seniors struggle with consuming a quality diet?

The reasons vary from person to person. For some older adults, mobility issues can make it difficult to get to the store and cook. Dental issues can make chewing certain foods difficult for some older adults. Others struggling with depression and isolation simply lose the motivation to eat.

The process of making a meal is so much more than just throwing food in a pan. There are a number of steps before that process even begins. This is why assistance in the kitchen can be the difference that leads older adults to eat a balanced diet. Home care workers can help seniors with meal preparation when it becomes too cumbersome to do on their own.

Home care workers can help seniors with meal preparation

We all know the eternal struggle of figuring out what we are going to eat in a day. For seniors, that struggle is exacerbated. They not only have to decide what to eat, but look through their cabinets and fridge for inventory, then go grocery shopping, put everything away, and finally made the meal. With all those steps, many seniors give up on meal planning altogether.

Meal planning, however, is the best way to ensure that seniors consume a healthy diet with all the nutrients they need in a day. Home caregivers can work with seniors to develop a plan for healthy meals. Once they know what meals their client like, they can take inventory of the kitchen and make shopping lists. If mobility or driving is a problem, they can take care of the grocery shopping.

Just remember to speak with your doctor before creating a meal plan to ensure your diet works well alongside any medication you take.

Cooking and cleaning up

Some seniors don’t enjoy all the meal prep that occurs beforehand but enjoy making the meal themselves. If that is the case, their home caregiver can simply supervise or act as a sous chef while they handle the bulk of the cooking. For those who don’t cook due to mobility issues or simply a lack of interest, their home care worker can prepare the meal in its entirety.

Cleaning up following a meal can sometimes sour one’s enjoyment of the meal. Seniors don’t have to worry about the mess in the kitchen when they have the assistance of a caregiver. During mealtime, or following the meal, care workers can take care of the dishes and make sure any leftovers are properly stored.

Companionship during a meal

Meal time used to be one of the few times during the day when seniors could connect with their loved ones about the events of their busy day. Even if many conversations didn’t occur, it was still a time of togetherness. To seniors who live alone, solitary meals can be a sad reminder of what once was.

Home caregivers can provide seniors the companionship they crave during meals. They become more than times for sitting in silence—meals are once again a time to enjoy conversation with another person. As a whole, regular companionship will improve their quality of life.

Home care helps seniors with meal preparation and so much more

With the assistance of an in-home caregiver, eating healthy is simple. Home Care Powered by AUAF has helped seniors in the Chicago area live in comfort for more than 25 years. Meal preparation is just one of the many ways our in-home caregivers can make your life easier. We can also help with:

• Personal care
• Medication reminders and management
• Light housekeeping
• Laundry
• Errands
• Brain games and activities
• Companionship and social interaction

Home care workers help seniors with meal preparation, personal care, and just about any other home care service one can think of. If you think you or an elderly loved one, could benefit from the compassionate care of an in-home caregiver, call us at 773-274-9262.