The Connection Bridgewater-Somerville Edition June/July/August

Eternal-Adoration +HDG VWRQH DQG JUDYHVLWH FOHDQLQJ WƌŽǀŝĚŝŶŐ Ă ĐůĞĂŶ ƌĞƐƟŶŐ ƉůĂĐĞ ĨŽƌ LJŽƵƌ ůŽǀĞĚ ŽŶĞƐ tĞ ŵĞƟĐƵůŽƵƐůLJ ĐůĞĂŶ LJŽƵƌ ůŽǀĞĚ ŽŶĞ͛Ɛ ŚĞĂĚƐƚŽŶĞ Žƌ ƉůĂƋƵĞ ĐŽŵƉůĞƚĞůLJ ďLJ ŚĂŶĚ ǁŝƚŚ ĂďƐŽůƵƚĞůLJ ŶŽ ƉŽǁĞƌ ǁĂƐŚŝŶŐ ƵƐŝŶŐ ĞĐŽͲĨƌŝĞŶĚůLJ ĐůĞĂŶĞƌƐ͘ WƌŽǀŝĚŝŶŐ Ă ĐůĞĂŶ ƌĞƐƟŶŐ ƉůĂĐ ĨŽƌ LJŽƵƌ ůŽǀĞĚ ŽŶĞƐ tĞ ŵĞƟĐƵůŽ ƐůLJ ĐůĞĂŶ LJŽƵƌ ůŽǀĞĚ Ž ƐƚŽŶĞ Žƌ ƉůĂƋƵĞ ĐŽŵƉ ĞƚĞůLJ ďLJ ŚĂŶĚ ǁŝƚŚ ĂďƐŽůƵƚĞůLJ ŶŽ ƉŽǁĞƌ ŝ ƐŝŶŐ ĞĐŽͲĨƌŝĞŶĚůLJ Đů ĂŶĞƌƐ͘ &ŝŶĚ ƵƐ ŽŶůŝŶĞ͗ ĞƚĞƌŶĂůͲĂĚŽƌĂƟŽŶ͘ĐŽŵ ͲŵĂŝů͗ ĐůĞĂŶŐƌĂǀĞƐŝƚĞΛŐŵĂŝů͘ĐŽŵ WŚŽŶĞ͗ ϵϬϴͲϴϮϯͲϬϳϯϯ &ƵůůLJ /ŶƐƵƌĞĚ͘ >ŝŬĞ ƵƐ ŽŶ &ĂĐĞŬ www.theconnectionsnj.com Whether your senior parent is in a facility or aging in place at home, please be aware of the importance of nutrition and hydration in their daily routine. Although mom or dad may have been interested in meal time in the past, there is a tendency to either forget or feel meals are less important, particularly if there is no socializing around them. Think about the man or woman who always dined with a spouse, and that spouse is no longer alive or living at home, if that is the case. Getting the vital nutrients necessary to sustain good health requires foods that have the appropriate vitamins, minerals and calories. Regardless of dietary preferences in the past, the senior may flourish at this point on a balanced food plan rich in proteins, carbohydrates and fats. Perhaps for those unable to digest fresh fruits and vegetables in their natural form, juices and purees frozen and served as treats may be a great way to use creativity and make food appealing. Additionally, I am mindful of the importance not only of food, but of hydration. Seniors can dehydrate more quickly than earlier in their lives. When it is pointed out that they are dehydrated, they will often report they didn’t feel thirsty. Or our parent may say they don’t want to drink because they will then need the bathroom more frequently. Incontinence is often another issue, so our parents may resist fluids, or tell us they aren’t interested in drinking. Left unchecked, seniors often arrive in the emergency room disoriented and fatigued, requiring iv fluids. Of course, it is not always pos- sible to have someone dine with our parents if they are aging in place at home. By creating a schedule where from time to time, someone dines with them, makes for a more enjoyable experience. Unless there is a medical reason not to, seniors should be reminded to drink, eat three meals, have snacks and share conversation. This model works well in most of the senior facilities I have seen. It really isn’t a luxury for our parents to have mealtime a social occasion…it often makes the difference between good nutrition and poor health! NUTRITION FOR SENIORS By: Ellyn Mantell PAGE 32 Spotlight on “SeniorS” www.theconnectionsnj.com