You will live comfortably and happily for longer in old age if you choose to have your own food and drink.
TIPS FOR USING FOOD & DRINK FOR SKILLS, CONTACTS, SELF-MANAGEMENT AND MORE
Eating & drinking is more
Eating & drinking is also exercise, having contacts, keeping control, retaining skills, enjoying, getting outside, lifting, cutting, cleaning and much more. Regular eating ensures a daily routine. Because you choose your menu yourself, you eat better, so that you get enough nutrients, maintain good resistance and maintain your weight better. In this way, food & drink can mean a lot to people of advanced age.
Dependent too quickly
At an advanced age, people often encounter limits that make it more difficult to prepare food & drinks. For example, there may be reduced lifting force for groceries, less mobility to go to shops, less strength in the hands.
More Examples
- When someone becomes less stable, starts to feel more insecure or could possibly run a risk, it is quickly advised to take ready-made meals or to eat at eating point without looking for other options.
- If someone is unstable or has difficulty lifting, it is soon advised to have the groceries delivered or to have a volunteer help who will take over this task entirely from him or her.
- When someone has trouble cutting, sandwiches are spread and cut prepared for him or her.
Downward spiral
Taking on obligations makes a person passive and therefore relying on others. And there is something that many people fail to realize: the less you do, the less you can do. As a result of this work outsourcing, a ‘downward slope‘ occurs in which you perform less and less acts yourself, and as a result, more and more skills and opportunities are wasted due to underutilization. People consume less and less as a result, and they like their meals less and less. As a result, more treatment and support is needed!
Tips for you as an elder
It’s likely that when you get older, you’ll reach a point where you can no longer eat or drink. This message can ideally inspire you to remain involved with diet and drink for as long and as much as possible. For this, you should use the following guidance.
- Start from what you can still do and always ask for support about how you can continue to do activities yourself. These can also be partial tasks.
- Make positive use of existing tools or make your own
- Practice makes perfect – even in old age
- Ask about how others solve this: ‘getting a little trouble‘ with things is nothing to be ashamed of and you can learn a lot from each other.
It is important to have a mindset about food and drink, particularly for the elderly who are often left at home; it is important for them to understand what is good for their health. Make it a habit to check both food and beverage labels as well as the cleanliness of your area. If you do see a wild animal such as a bat in your household, don’t hesitate to call ‘bat removal’ for help for you to maintain the safety of your loved one.