If your senior isn’t eating, she’s also not getting the nutrients she needs to properly fuel her body. There are lots of reasons this could be happening, so it’s important to do a little bit of investigating.
Her Senses Work Differently Now
When your senior’s senses work differently than she expects, like she doesn’t smell things as well as she used to, then she may not feel as tempted to eat. A change to her sense of taste can mean that she doesn’t get excited about food anymore, too. If she’s not thinking about eating because it’s not as appealing as it was, she may simply forget about eating altogether.
Her Stomach Feels Smaller to Her
Your senior may also mention to you that her stomach feels “smaller” or that she just doesn’t need as much food anymore. She may start to feel full after a much smaller helping of food than she has eaten in the past. There can be a lot of reasons for this and some of them might be indicative of a bigger concern. It’s a good idea to talk to her doctor about what might be happening.
She Digests Food Differently than She Used To
Your senior’s digestive system operates differently as she ages, too. She may find that some of her favorite foods are more difficult for her to digest. For instance, she may have always enjoyed milk in her coffee or cereal with milk, and now she finds that milk upsets her stomach. That’s often because her body isn’t producing the same digestive enzymes as she did in the past. There could be more going on, which makes a conversation with her doctor a good idea.
Cooking and Eating Are Physically Difficult to Do
When your senior finds it physically difficult or impossible to cook or to eat, that’s a big problem in terms of getting nourishment. It takes a lot more energy than you realize to cook, especially if your elderly family member is dealing with health issues that zap her energy. If she’s having physical difficulty swallowing or chewing, that is another aspect to consider.
Working with your elderly family member to find solutions to these and other problems she might be having could be the key to helping her to get the nutrition she needs. Hiring home care services providers might be the right answer for many of the issues. It’s also important to talk to her doctor about what you’re seeing.