What Can You Do to Make Meal Preparation Easier for Your Aging Adult?
The whole process of preparing and eating meals can take a lot more mental and physical energy than you realize until it becomes too difficult for your aging adult. Here are some ways to deal with that problem for her.
Elderly Care in Smithtown NY: Easier Meal Preparation For Your Senior
Rotate Recipes
Some aging adults get pickier about what they eat as they grow older. Or your elderly family member could be on an extremely strict diet for health reasons. Regardless, that could mean that she feels as if she doesn’t have a lot of variety in what she eats. One way that you can manage this is to make sure that you’re rotating recipes so that every day isn’t the same old thing.
Freeze Single Servings
If you make food for your elderly family member, freezing an entire casserole sounds like a great idea until it comes time for her to eat it. Try to freeze single servings of that casserole instead. That way she can pull one serving at a time out of the freezer and there isn’t a lot of extra food to deal with afterward.
Shop for Her
Grocery shopping can take a lot of energy, even if you’re healthy and able-bodied. If grocery shopping is becoming too difficult for her, consider doing it for her. You can even outsource this task to senior care providers or to other family members if they’re able to help.
Have Friends and Family Help Cook
Even if they can’t grocery shop for your aging adult, friends and family members might be a little more able to contribute a dish or two a week to your elderly family member’s freezer. Make sure that you suggest single servings to them as well so that it’s easier for your senior to eat those meals.
Hire Senior Care Providers
Another option is to hire senior care providers who are able to handle every part of the shopping, cooking, and cleanup process of meal preparation. This gives your aging adult the most help with meal management, especially if you’re not able to help her as much as you’d like.
Talk to your aging adult about what other steps you can take that might help eating and mealtime go a little more smoothly for her.
If you or an aging loved-one are considering elderly care in Smithtown, NY, please contact the caring staff at Family First Home Companions.
Serving all of Long Island. Call today: (631) 319-3961
Jennifer has specialized training in Alzheimer’s disease through the Long Island Alzheimer’s Association and the Long Island Alzheimer’s Foundation.She also volunteered her time with the Alzheimer's Disease Assistance Center of Long Island for 3 years by providing cognitive stimulation to an Alzheimer’s patient group.
Jennifer educates the community about elder care and speaks to caregiver support groups, senior centers, and at professional organizations.Topics include home safety, effective strategies for family caregiving, elder care planning, and awareness about elder abuse.
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