| Summary • About 25% of adults over the age of 65 will experience changes in their appetite or other issues that make it difficult for them to eat normally. • Aging adults who don’t consume enough calories are at risk of diabetes, heart disease, and osteoporosis, among other health conditions. • Aging adults might have a reduced appetite due to dental problems, medication side effects, or other health issues. • Serving finger foods and drinkable meals and focusing on calorie-dense options is a good place to start when trying to get aging adults to eat. |
When our aging loved ones are not eating well, it can be worrying. It’s really important that older adults get the nutrients they need to stay healthy.
According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), one in every four older adults will experience loss of appetite, especially if they are over the age of 65. Decreased appetite is a natural part of the aging process.
It can be a difficult and frustrating process to get an aging loved one with a poor appetite to adopt healthy eating habits.
This is why we’ve put together a few practical steps you can take to revive the joy of eating for the older adults in your life.
In this article, we’ll share some tips on how to stimulate appetite in the elderly and ensure they eat nutritious meals.
What Happens if Aging Adults Don’t Eat Enough?
If your elderly loved one is refusing to eat and you’re becoming impatient, it may be tempting to give up and let them skip a meal.
However, your elderly parents or grandparents are at risk for serious health problems if they don’t have a healthy diet that provides them with enough calories.
Here are some of the problems that can be caused by malnutrition in older adults:
| Health problem | How it affects the elderly |
| Weight loss | This can lead to frailty and increase the risk of falls and bone fractures. |
| Muscle loss | Can affect overall physical strength. |
| A weakened immune system | This makes older adults more susceptible to illness and infections. |
| Fatigue and weakness | Can reduce overall quality of life. |
| An increased risk of developing chronic diseases | They are at higher risk of diabetes, osteoporosis, and cardiovascular disease. |
| Cognitive impairment | A potential decline in memory or cognitive abilities. |
| Reduced independence | Lack of nutrition can affect mobility and strength. |
At times it may seem impossible to get your loved ones to eat, but there’s always hope. If you follow some of the advice we share below to boost the appetite of your aging loved ones, there’s a good chance you can avoid these health complications.
What Causes an Aging Adult to Stop Eating?
As we age, a number of processes in our bodies start to change, all of which can affect our appetite. Additionally, certain medical conditions can also lead to a poor appetite.
Here are some of the reasons why your aging loved one may have a decreased appetite:
- A decline in fine motor skills: This can make using utensils more difficult.
- Changing taste buds: As we age, our taste buds become weaker, potentially making food less enjoyable.
- Dry mouth: Often caused by medication, having a dry mouth may discourage the elderly from eating. Chewing sugarless gum before meals is an excellent way to alleviate this issue and improve taste sensation.
- Dental problems: Our oral health tends to decline the older we get, which can affect our appetite. If you have tooth decay or pain in your mouth, it can be difficult to chew food, making the elderly less likely to want to eat.
- Medication side effects: Certain medications may reduce an elderly person’s appetite.
- Thyroid disorders: Changes in eating habits are common among people with thyroid problems.
- Throat infections: If your aging loved one has developed a throat infection, it may become uncomfortable or even painful for them to eat.
- Lactose intolerance: As we age, we often experience gastrointestinal changes—such as lactose intolerance—which can affect our appetite.
9 Tips on How to Stimulate Your Aging Love One’s Appetite
There are certain things you can do to try to increase the appetite of elderly loved ones. Here are some strategies to try.
Start slow
If your elderly loved one hasn’t been eating much or has irregular eating patterns, it’s important to approach this issue with compassion and sensitivity.
Start by serving small amounts of food initially. Several smaller snacks throughout the day may stimulate their appetite and keep them nourished.
Encourage aging adults to chew well and enjoy their meals at a leisurely pace. Life’s demands may make you want to rush meals, but it’s important that elderly people have the time they need to eat properly.
Try finger foods
If you’re really struggling to get your aging loved ones to sit down and eat, you might want to consider preparing foods they can easily eat with their hands.
Options like chicken nuggets or cocktail sausages are great choices, just be sure to include foods with more nutritional value, like sliced fruits, in their meals.
Consider drinkable meals
If your aging loved one struggles to swallow or has trouble using cutlery, a drinkable meal is a good alternative. It’s also useful when their appetite is significantly reduced.
Think protein shakes, fruit or vegetable smoothies, and meal replacement drinks.
Focus on high-calorie foods
If your aging loved one is only eating very little food at the moment, ensure that what they are consuming provides enough calories to cover their nutritional needs.
You might want to include olive oil in their food to up their calorie intake or encourage them to eat a few spoonfuls of full-fat yogurt.
Other nutrient-dense foods to serve include whole grains, fish and other seafood, and fruits and vegetables.
Establish a regular eating schedule
Get your aging loved one into an eating routine by ensuring meals and snacks are served at the same time each day.
Routine helps to stimulate the body’s hunger signals and may make the aging adult more willing to eat.
A routine can also help you plan ahead to ensure they get enough nutrients in every meal to avoid health complications.
Think about how you’re serving food
You want to make sure it’s as easy as possible for your aging loved one to eat. This includes providing plates, bowls, and utensils that are readily available and easy to handle.
Keeping peas on a fork, for example, may be difficult for older adults.
You might also want to consider serving helpings of colorful foods like carrots, grapefruit, and watermelon to stimulate their senses.
Lastly, consider the color of the plates you’re serving food on. For example, green is one of the last colors people with dementia who lose their eyesight can see, so serving food on green plates may brighten their day.
Encourage social meals
The thought of eating alone is enough to discourage aging adults from eating. Social interaction is also vital to the health and well-being of the elderly.
Think about making meals a social event by looking into meal options at community centers and asking your family members to take turns spending evenings with your older loved ones while they eat.
Prioritize physical activity
Exercise is linked to a natural increase in appetite, which may help your elderly loved ones feel like they want to eat. Something as simple as regular walks could assist in a higher calorie intake.
Sedentary routines are not only dangerous for their physical health, but they can also result in poor appetite.
Speak to your loved one’s doctor about appetite stimulants
If it seems like none of the above tips are helping, you might want to consider speaking to your aging loved one’s doctor about an appetite stimulant.
Prescription appetite stimulants can increase hunger and enhance food consumption.
Enhance Independence for Your Elderly Loved Ones
It’s important to know that not every approach will work for everyone. Your aging family members will have their own unique challenges, and it’s vital to respect that.
With a little patience and understanding, there’s no reason why your aging loved one shouldn’t be excited about a good meal.
If you’re looking for other ways to take care of your aging relatives, you might want to consider investing in a medical alert device by LogicMark. Medical alert devices enable aging adults to contact emergency services, their loved ones, or their caregiver in times of need.
It can be worn as a pendant or on a belt, meaning they can have it on their person at all times. This gives them independence to enjoy doing the things they love. It also gives you peace of mind that they are safe. Check out the full line of medical alert devices.
