When you stop in to visit with your aging adult, are you listening to what her kitchen can tell you? If you’re not, you’re overlooking some important information about what and how she’s eating.
Expired or Old Food
Fresh foods, like fruits and vegetables, are usually easy to assess for age. Other foods, such as canned goods, frozen foods, and pantry staples, usually have a “best by” date somewhere on the packaging. Make it a point to take a look at your senior’s food items and determine if they’re getting old or even expiring before she’s using them. Don’t forget to check items such as milk and juice, too.
Lots of Pre-packaged Foods
Home Care Philadelphia- What Does Your Mother’s Kitchen Tell You?While you’re investigating, are you noticing a lot of pre-packaged foods? This could mean that your elderly family member is relying on these foods, which can be high in sugar and salt content. A few of these items in the pantry is one thing, but if that seems to be the bulk of what makes up her food stores, it could be a problem.
Check the Trash, Too
Casually check out your senior’s trash, too. Although this sounds a little creepy, it can be the best way for you to spot items such as takeout or fast food containers. Some takeout food might be from restaurants that offer high-quality meals, but that isn’t always the case. Relying on these types of foods too often can mean that your senior isn’t cooking at all and needs some extra help.
Appliances that Don’t Work
In this age of modern conveniences, there are a lot of different appliances that can help your senior to eat well. She may have a microwave, a toaster oven, and a regular oven, for instance. Check them all out and make sure they’re operational. If they aren’t, then of course your senior can’t use them in order to prepare her foods.
Signs of Potential Problems
Other signs of trouble might be more subtle. For instance, if your senior has scorched a great many of her pots and pans that could mean that she’s forgetting foods on the stove. Disabled smoke alarms and signs of other types of damage in the kitchen could be signs that your senior is having more trouble than it appears at first glance.
If you’re spotting these signs or others that make you worry about how well your senior is eating, it might be time to consider something else. Hiring home care providers to handle the grocery shopping and the cooking can help your elderly family member to eat healthy meals without having to do the work herself.
If you or an aging loved-one are considering home care in Philadelphia, please talk to the caring staff at Better Care Home Health Services LLC today. Serving individuals and their families in Philadelphia, Delaware, Montgomery and Bucks counties. Call Today: (267) 766-5218
Better Care Home Health Services is a family-owned agency dedicated to providing excellent and comprehensive home health care to individuals and families of Philadelphia, Delaware, Montgomery and Bucks counties. We are honored that God has blessed us with the opportunity to positively impact and change people’s lives. It is our mission to ensure that we provide the very best of care to our clients.
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