Why Is Your Dad Eating So Many Frozen Meals?
During your visits with your dad, you’ve noticed something that concerns you. His cupboards and refrigerator are pretty empty. His freezer has the most food, and it’s mostly frozen pizzas, frozen dinners, French fries, and chicken nuggets.
He’s not eating healthy. Everything you find is high in sodium or contains saturated fat and added sugar. What can you do to improve his dietary habits?
Why Do Older Adults Buy Frozen Meals and Foods?
There are several reasons your dad may be leaning towards frozen foods. They’re already prepared and just need heating in an oven or microwave. Arthritis pain in the fingers or wrist makes some kitchen tasks impossible to handle. Holding a knife and mincing garlic, slicing meats, or chopping an onion may be too hard.
Frozen meals don’t require chopping and slicing. Put it in a microwave-safe bowl, on a baking sheet, or in a pan and it’s ready to cook. It’s much easier.
The other reason older adults lean towards frozen meals is that they are already portioned for one person. Shifting from cooking for a family of four to dinner for one or two can be a hard adjustment. Frozen meals are portioned for one, so there’s no scaling down a recipe to meet the needs of empty-nesters or newly widowed older adults.
How Can You Help?
It may help your dad to have ready-to-cook meals. Slice and marinate meats, grains, and vegetables and put them in freezer bags. Ideally, make it easy for him to make the meals. If he has ingredients he can pour into a slow cooker and ignore it all day, it’s going to be easier for him to manage.
For example, you could set up a package that has sliced chicken, cooked white beans with chili spices, and chopped onions and peppers. He puts that into the slow cooker and has a pot of white bean and chicken chili for dinner.
If you do this, carefully label bags and tape them together so that nothing is misplaced. You don’t want him going to make that chili and realize later that he missed the bag that had the onions and peppers.
Hire In-Home Care Services Providers to Cook Meals
What if you don’t have time or live too far away to help each day? Caregivers are helpful. Hire in-home care services and have caregivers help out.
Arrange in-home care services for meal preparation. Caregivers get to know your dad and learn what he loves to eat. From there, they’ll plan a menu together and shop for ingredients. In-home care aides can cook his meals and get him eating a diet that’s balanced and full of the nutrients he needs.
If you or an aging loved-one is considering In-Home Care Services in Cochran GA please contact the caring staff at Angels of Mercy Private Homecare Services, Inc. today at 478-745-5111.
Angels of Mercy Private Homecare has been providing in-home care services since 2002 throughout the Macon and Middle Georgia Area.
Angels of Mercy Private Homecare Services provides in-home care that improves the lives of the clients. Our services help them maintain the highest possible level of independent living. We provide In-home private duty care and care management services for seniors throughout the Middle Georgia area.
Our CNA (certified nursing aides), caregiver, and companion services allow our clients to age in the place where they feel most comfortable and secure - at home. Combine our Home Care Services, with our Geriatric Care Management component, and we provide the most comprehensive assistance for the Middle Georgia areas seniors.
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