When your elderly family member can no longer eat on her own, she’s going to need some extra help. It’s a little more complicated to feed someone else than it is to feed yourself, because there’s a lot to coordinate. You’ll both need a little bit of practice and patience to get it right.
Keep Things Simple
One of the biggest mistakes you can make with feeding your senior is to make it a big deal. If you’re calling a lot of attention to the fact that you’re feeding her, that’s going to have an impact you don’t want. If she’s embarrassed and self-conscious, that’s going to complicate every bit of what you’re trying to do and you both need to work together. Keep this experience simple and straightforward for best results.
What She’s Eating Matters
The types of food matter when you’re trying to feed another person. This is even more true if she’s got other issues with chewing and swallowing that complicate the eating process. If you’re feeding your senior foods that are really complicated, it’s important to simplify things as much as possible. For instance, instead of long spaghetti, maybe you make her favorite sauce with a shorter pasta that’s easier to eat. This helps both of you.
Don’t Give Up
Chances are that your senior is already frustrated with eating having become difficult, which is why she’s accepting help. If you’re getting frustrated too, that’s just going to keep complicating the situation. Don’t let frustration get to you and don’t give up. Just keep simplifying the situation so that you’re both less frustrated instead of more frustrated.
Bring in Some Help for Both of You
Your senior may need help eating, but that help doesn’t always have to come from you. In fact, it might be helpful to see how senior care providers tackle the same task so that you can get some pointers yourself. Feeding someone else is a skill that you can learn and when you have an experienced person showing you the way, that can be a lot more help than you expect.
Feeding your elderly family member is just one more way that you can help her with her daily needs. She needs to get the right nutrition and your help might be the best way for that to happen. Whatever your solution is, make sure that it’s the best one possible for your aging adult.