Home Instead Launches Nutrition Campaign

By Nancy K. Crevier

On a recent afternoon, Valerie Chop of Home Instead Senior Care of Sandy Hook browsed her recently acquired copy of Cooking Under Pressure, a handbook put out by Home Instead Senior Care comprising shopping and nutrition advice, as well as recipes meant to nudge senior citizens toward better eating habits.

“The recipes look delicious,” said Ms Chop, “and I like that they have the nutritional information with each recipe.”

She was at the Newtown home of Louise Butler, for whom she provides assistance and companionship each week. Making sure that Ms Butler’s pantry and refrigerator are well stocked, shopping with her, and seeing that she has properly prepared and healthy meals are part of Ms Chop’s job.

“I used to cook for a big family,” said Ms Butler. “I have five children. But it’s more difficult to cook now that I’m just one, and I have diet considerations to think about,” continued Ms Butler, who said she also appreciates that Ms Chop is available to advise her as she shops for groceries. “Valerie’s good. She keeps me on track with my diet and helps me make good choices,” said Ms Butler, who has to watch her sugar and cholesterol levels.

Ms Butler had not had the opportunity to look through the new handbook, but agreed that good nutritional habits can be difficult as one ages. Cooking for one person is not much fun, she said. She makes a point of trying to have lunch in the community room at Nunnawauk Meadows, and regularly goes out to dine with her friends from the Red Hat Society.

On this afternoon, the women decided to try the chicken Caesar wrap recipe included in the new handbook.

“Louise loves salads, so this looks like a good recipe to try,” said Ms Chop.

Home Instead Senior Care is an international network of 800 franchise offices, including the one in Sandy Hook, that provides assistance to senior citizens in their homes, at assisted living facilities, and in nursing homes. The organization has launched the “Cooking Under Pressure Nutrition Campaign” to provide caregivers and seniors with the education and resources necessary to support healthy aging.

Eating well can be the first line of defense in keeping the elderly healthy, and guidance for optimum nutritional health is one of the most needed services in a home, said Sharon Massafra, the owner of the Sandy Hook and Trumbull Home Instead franchise. “We may find when we go into a home that the usual food staples are not there, or haven’t been used in years. Once we recognize some of the shortfalls in nutrition habits, seniors are more motivated to participate in meal planning and sharing meal preparation,” said Ms Massafra.

According to Home Instead Senior Care literature, good nutritional practices are particularly difficult for caregivers when a senior has three or more nutritional risk factors, which include taking three or more prescribed or over the counter medications each day; an illness or condition that causes change in diet; and a loss or gain of more than ten pounds in the past six months.

“The importance of nutrition for healthy aging is why Home Instead partnered with experts at the University of Maryland and Duke University Medical Center to promote healthy, stress-free grocery shopping. We’ve created a handbook of nutritional meal preparation tips and healthy recipes,” Ms Massafra said.

Cooking Under Pressure provides shopping advice and a list of 12 essential foods for seniors to have on hand in the kitchen, as well as recipes, and advice to make eating a happy event.

Home Instead encourages interaction with seniors when shopping, preparing, or eating meals. New recipes and ingredients can encourage a positive attitude toward mealtimes, as well. However, support in preparing meals may be necessary by the caregiver or a family member, as many seniors are unable to cook, even if they have fresh food on hand.

Encouraging seniors to take part in local meal programs may be an incentive to eating better and having a more balanced diet.

“Companionship is vital to making mealtime more engaging for an older adult, and alleviating the strain on family caregivers,” said Ms Massafra.

Different Nutritional Needs

A senior citizen who is not eating properly may exhibit several warning signs. Alert family members and caregivers can head off critical problems by being aware if an older adult shows loss of appetite; little or no interest in eating out, particularly if the person previously enjoyed dining out; signs of depression; sudden weight fluctuation; has expired or spoiled food in the refrigerator; has skin tone that is not healthy or well hydrated; becomes lethargic; develops cognitive problems (seniors living alone can forget to eat); takes more than three medications daily; and/or or has had a recent illness that affects appetite adversely.

Poor nutrition can be at the root of many eating and health problems. Intervention by caregivers, family, or a physician may be necessary to get the elderly back on track to healthy eating.

What makes good nutrition difficult as a person ages is that while the body’s nutritional needs remain the same or even increase, older people may find that they are unable to consume as much as they did when younger. Utilizing nutritional experts, Home Instead has identified 12 foods that provide optimum nutrition when worked into the daily diet, as well as recipes that can be prepared by the caregiver or senior, or together.

Oatmeal, eggs, yogurt, blueberries, apples, fish, chicken, broccoli, soy, sweet potatoes and squash, rice, and as a treat, dark chocolate, are all foods that can be used in creating appetizing meals with a nutritional punch.

Shopping for those foods is made easy using suggestions in Cooking Under Pressure, and is advice that can be used by all shoppers to make wiser selections when shopping, as well as to streamline the shopping trip.

Make a list, is suggestion number one. Preplanning can cut down on actual time spent shopping, and save money. Other food shopping advice includes:

*Don’t shop hungry. It is harder to resist impulse buying when shopping on an empty stomach.

*Review store ads, clip coupons, and organize them before the trip.

*Bring along a friend or caregiver to make the task more fun and to offer support. A grocery delivery service is another option.

*Sign up for bonus/discount cards.

*Try store brands, and try new foods or ethnic items.

*Healthier, fresher foods are found around the perimeter of the store, not the central aisles.

*Stock up on sale items that can be used in a timely manner.

*Use the food budget to purchase healthy choices.

Home Instead Senior Care is hopeful that the nutrition campaign will result in less stress for caregivers using the streamlined suggestions for shopping and menu preparation, and in healthier older adults, whose nutritional needs are being met.

“Living alone or being an older adult, food is not a primary concern, but nutrition should be,” said Ms Massafra.

Ms Chop and Ms Butler “wrapped up” the chicken Caesar wrap in just a few minutes, taking advantage of bagged salad and pregrilled chicken from the supermarket. Taking a bite, Ms Butler chewed thoughtfully. Her verdict? “Delicious! Superb!”

The free Cooking Under Pressure handbook is available at Home Instead Senior Care offices, or a PDF can be downloaded at FoodsForSeniors.com, where additional information, research, and resources are provided.