If you have an elderly parent or other older loved one, you might be worried that he or she is not getting enough to eat. Confusion, illness, medication and difficulty with preparing food and eating can all contribute to an older person not eating as much as he or she should. These are a few things that you can do to help.

1. Communicate

It’s important to communicate with both your loved one and his or her doctor about this situation. Ask your loved one often about what he or she has been eating. Then, talk to his or her doctor about any concerns that you might have about your loved one’s diet.

2. Make it Easy

Make it as easy as possible for your loved one to eat. Keep frozen meals and other easy-to-prepare foods on hand; you can purchase healthier options, or you can even prepare casseroles and other similar foods yourself ahead of time and freeze them. Keep meal replacement shakes on hand for when your elderly loved one doesn’t feel like eating, and consider looking into a delivery service that will bring grocery staples if you aren’t able to do it.

3. Hire a Home Health Agency

If a lack of eating is something that you are truly concerned about, it might be time to hire a Florida home health agency to help. Florida home health care workers will help with food purchasing and preparation and will keep track of how much your loved one is eating.

It is not uncommon for older people to stop eating as much as they used to, but this is not a situation that you should ignore. Try these tips to help, and contact us if you would like to hire a home health care worker to assist your elderly loved one.