Nutritious meals are important for helping seniors maintain their health, yet your aging loved one may have difficulty cooking as he or she gets older. Watch out for signs that your parent needs assistance so you can offer the following strategies to making cooking healthy meals easier.
Get Them Excited About Mealtimes
For seniors who live alone, mealtimes may become just another part of the day that reminds them of their loneliness. For this reason, your first step is to make mealtimes something your loved one looks forward to each day. You can make meals more exciting by planning theme nights, inviting people over, or trying a new, exotic dish a few times a week. Once your loved one starts looking forward to meals, he or she may be more interested in meal prep.
Meal prep is just one of the many tasks seniors may need help with as they age. If your senior loved one needs help managing an illness or assistance with daily tasks, make sure you choose a top-rated provider of senior care. Montgomery Home Care Assistance is here to help your loved one live a happier and healthier life in the golden years. From the mentally stimulating activities in our Cognitive Therapeutics Method to our friendly Care Managers who are available to answer your questions 24 hours a day, we offer a wide array of high-quality at-home care services.
Help Them Find Healthy Recipes
If your loved one already cooks but tends to stick to unhealthy dishes, suggest adding more nutritious options to the menu. You can find a lot of healthy recipes online that are perfectly balanced for a senior’s diet. For instance, vegetarian lasagna recipes often taste just as good or better than meat-based versions. Do a little pre-searching before inviting your loved one to join in on picking out a few new recipes to try.
Look for Ergonomic Cooking Utensils
A nutritious diet includes plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, but your loved one may not be able to do the basic prep work of chopping them up if he or she has arthritis. Check around for ergonomic cooking utensils such as rocker knives that take the pressure off of your loved one’s joints. Alternatively, you could purchase a food processor that allows your loved one to cut ingredients into smaller pieces without so much work.
Prep Ingredients for the Week
Busy seniors are more likely to cook if they have all of the ingredients ready to throw in the pot. Help your loved one cut up enough ingredients for several meals and put them into freezable storage containers. Many popular ingredients such as bell peppers and broccoli can be kept for weeks in the freezer, and your loved one can simply pull out the amount he or she needs for a meal without having to do hours of prep work.
Family caregivers may need to help their loved ones prepare meals or manage other tasks. If you are the primary caregiver for a senior loved one in Montgomery, respite care is available when you need time away from your important caregiving duties. At Home Care Assistance, our respite caregivers are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to help your loved one manage everyday tasks in the comfort of home while you have the chance to take a much-needed break.
Provide Assistance with Cleanup
Some of the most popular chefs admit they detest cleaning up after cooking, and your loved one may feel the same way. Seniors who hate washing dishes and wiping down countertops may simply opt for a microwavable dinner rather than cooking a meal that generates a mess. For this situation, the simplest remedy is to offer your loved one help during the cleanup process. This way, your loved one can cook healthy meals as often as he or she wants while knowing a caregiver will cheerfully clean up the aftermath.
Eating nutritious meals is just one of the many ways older adults can boost their health and wellbeing. If your elderly loved one needs help maintaining a high quality of life while aging in place, reach out to Home Care Assistance, a trusted provider of Montgomery home care. Our caregivers provide transportation to and from medical appointments and social events, nutritious meal preparation, assistance with daily exercise, and help with everyday tasks like bathing, grooming, and light housekeeping. Call one of our professional Care Managers at (334) 593-3988 to schedule a free in-home consultation.