Why Isn’t Your Aging Family Member Eating?

By Emily Sloma | February 15, 2021 |

Have you just discovered that your senior is eating a lot less food and a lot less often than you previously realized? This can be startling, but it might be something that you can help your senior to solve.

Elder Care Cotati CA – Why Isn’t Your Aging Family Member Eating?

She’s Not Moving as Much as She Used to Move

As your elderly family member’s activity levels decrease, her body might respond by also causing her appetite to decrease. This is common and it’s not a sign of major problems in and of itself. But if your elderly family member isn’t moving much at all, this might be a concern. Talk to your senior’s doctor about what her activity levels should be and what you can do to help.

She Doesn’t Have a Strong Daily Routine

When someone doesn’t have a strong sense of their own daily routine, they might not do a lot of things that need to be done regularly, like bathing or eating meals. Your elderly family member might forget to eat, especially if her appetite is also decreased. Helping her to stack habits so that one task leads right into another can help her to not skip certain things.

It’s Difficult for Her to Prepare Meals

Very often it’s become more difficult than your senior wants to admit to prepare meals, especially for one person. This can lead to skipping meals and even to no longer doing things like shopping for groceries. One of the best ways around this is to find another solution for meal prep. Hiring an elder care aide to help your senior can be immensely helpful.

She’s Having Physical Trouble Eating

Is your elderly family member physically able to eat? Problems with chewing, swallowing, and dental care can all create a situation in which your elderly family member finds it impossible to eat, so she doesn’t. This is not sustainable, and you’ll need to work with her medical providers to find a solution.

She Just Doesn’t Want to Eat

This one is a little more difficult. If your elderly family member simply doesn’t want to eat, there may not be much you can do about it. It’s worth talking to her doctor to find out if there is an underlying health condition that’s contributing to the situation. Your elderly family member may have to eat anyway, regardless of whether she really wants to. Her appetite might come back if she does start eating regular meals again.

Going without eating for long periods of time can be dangerous for your senior, so it’s important to try to understand what’s really happening.

**If you or an aging loved one are considering hiring Elder Care Services in Cotati CA, call At Your Service Home Care. Call today! (707) 573-1003**

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Emily Sloma

Care Advisor at At Your Service Home Care

My name is Emily Sloma and I have worked in health care for a decade now; starting when I was just 17 years old.I started as a caregiver in homes for family members. When I was 19 I became a licensed CNA/HHA. I worked in skilled nursing and hospital settings. I gained the experience of working with many different people with different types of conditions. I moved onto home care after about a year of post acute care. While working as a caregiver, I also trained to be an end of life specialist. After working many years as a caregiver, I was promoted to a care manager. I managed clients and care staff. In my current position as care advisor I meet new and existing clients, assess their needs and get the best care for them so they can stay in their homes.