Home Care in Papillion NE
Being a family caregiver for an elderly adult who is coping with Alzheimer’s disease can be one of the most challenging experiences that you have. By understanding the specific challenges that your aging parent is facing, you can make the appropriate steps to ensure that they stay as safe, healthy, and comfortable as possible as they age in place. One of the most common challenges that elderly adults with Alzheimer’s disease face is difficulties with eating. These issues can mean that they do not get the nutrition that they need to remain at their best, but can also put them at serious risk of physical injury or illness.
Some of the ways that you can ease the challenges of eating for a senior with Alzheimer’s disease include:
• Eliminate potential poisoning risks. One eating challenge that many elderly adults with Alzheimer’s disease face is not understanding what they should or can eat. They might attempt to eat things that they are not able to eat and that might harm them. Eliminate items such as decorative artificial foods, chemicals that look or smell like foods, or items that they might confuse such as potpourri that looks like candy or candles sitting on the table.
• Choose the right texture. Seniors with Alzheimer’s disease might struggle with being able to chew or swallow food properly. This can put them at risk of choking or biting themselves. If you notice that they are having difficulty with the functional elements of eating, talk to their doctor and get recommendations for how to change the textures of food that will be easiest for your parent to eat. A thickened liquid diet may be necessary if your parent is in the later stages of the disease.
• Make eating a social event. Avoid having eating be something that your elderly parent does on their own. Eating along with your loved one is an opportunity for them to relax, socialize, and feel more compelled to eat enough. It is also a chance for you to model proper eating behaviors, which your parent can then mimic, helping them to eat safely and effectively.
If your aging parent has developed challenges with eating as they progress through the stages of Alzheimer’s disease, now may be the ideal time for you to consider starting home care for them. An in-home senior care services provider can be with your elderly loved one as often as they are needed to help them to manage their specific limitations, challenges, and needs in a way that is respectful, effective, and efficient, while also supporting as much independence as possible and encouraging the highest quality of life that they can enjoy as they age in place. When it comes to dealing with eating challenges related to their Alzheimer’s disease, this care provider can supervise your parent during eating times, prepare meals and snacks that are easier to handle, and provide other forms of support and assistance that keep them safer and help to ensure that they get the nutrition that they need as they progress through their disease.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/caregivers/in-depth/alzheimers/art-20048042
If you or an aging loved one are considering home care in Papillion, NE, please contact the caring staff at Seniors Helping Seniors of Greater Omaha at (402) 215-0308 today.