Stay Nourished. Eat Well, Age Well with Home Instead

Food and nutrition play an important role in staying well but many people lose their interest in food as they get older and, according to Home Instead research, one in five over 75’s struggle to cook their own food.

As part of our home help service our campaign ‘Stay Nourished’, aims to raise awareness of the importance of maintaining healthy eating habits. We have many Care Professionals who love to share their passion for nutrition and cooking with their clients this in turn, helps monitor them for signs of malnutrition so that early action can be taken to keep older people healthy at home and ageing well.

If you would like to download one of our Weekly meal planners, please click the link here

If you are feeling under strain caring for your loved one and need a helping hand or a bit of respite time, Home Instead are here for you. Our Care Professionals can provide help around the house as well as assistance with shopping, errands, meal planning and preparation.

For more information on how we can help, please contact us online here or call 0161 506 8305.

Here are some top tips for encouraging your loved one to enjoy mealtimes:

• Keep mealtimes interesting. (See pages 22/23 of Live well your way for a great recipe idea from Rosemary Shrager).
• Aromas can help to stimulate the appetite.
• Help your loved one to make a shopping list and decide on a healthy meal plan for the week.
• Encourage your loved one to get involved in the preparation and serving of meals wherever possible.
• Make the dining area comfortable, remove distractions and create a nice atmosphere.
• Think about portion sizes; If appetite is a problem, it is better to introduce smaller portions more often instead of a large plate of food 3 times a day.
• Offering finger foods is also a good way to encourage people to eat if someone doesn’t want a traditional meal.
• Ensure healthy snack options are available and make sure food and drinks are easily accessible throughout the day.
• Avoid calorie-free or low-fat products unless your loved one has specifically been advised to eat them by their GP.
• Always prioritise mealtimes and try to create a mealtime routine. Avoid rushing and coercing someone to eat.  Gentle persuasion is better.
• Confront the myth that weight loss is a normal process with ageing as our bodies become less active. Weight loss is not a normal part of the ageing process.