Five Ways You Can Recognize Malnutrition in Your Aging Adult

Before you can solve any problems that your senior has around eating, you need to be able to recognize them first. That’s easier to do when you know some of the signs that she might show that point to malnutrition.

She’s Sick More Often

Your senior’s body uses food as fuel to keep her body running. Part of keeping her body running involves making sure that her immune system is operating well. You might notice that your senior is run down more often, or even that she’s experiencing weakness in her muscles, too.

She Doesn’t Seem to Have Much Energy

Her energy levels might be low if she’s not eating well, too. Your senior might mention that she’s tired all day, even after just waking up. This is especially a problem if she has other health issues that sap her energy, because she didn’t have much to start with and now it’s being impacted by malnutrition.

Her Fridge Doesn’t Have Healthy Foods

If you’re able to look in her fridge, see what she’s eating. People who aren’t eating well might have a lot of prepackaged foods in their fridge and pantry. But something else you might see is hardly any food at all or expired foods. This can mean that your senior isn’t thinking about food, even to the extent that she’s probably not buying much food at all.

She’s Lost Some Weight

Some people want to lose weight, but if your senior didn’t have a lot of extra weight to lose, this can be startling. When your senior loses too much weight, she can become frail and weak. This can leave her vulnerable to injuries and falls, which can bring huge health issues for her.

She Hedges When You Ask about What She’s Eating

When you do ask your senior about what she’s eating and when, pay attention to how she answers you. If she answers honestly, you can continue to work through the issues that she’s having. But if she hedges her answers with you, you might have to work harder to be honest with you. This is also a big sign that she’s not eating well.

Solving your senior’s issues with malnutrition mean first learning why she’s not getting the nutrients that she needs. From there, you might want to try doing things like hiring a caregiver to help with meals and everything that goes with them.