Cooking for the elderly

Hi,

DH's grandparents are well into their 80s but still living on their own. Nanna is getting worse and can't cook anymore. So Pop does the cooking. Unfortunatley, his cooking consists of putting some frozen chips in the oven or serving cheese and biccies. Nanna is skin and bones and needs to eat more. Her doctor has prescribed some sustenance shakes, which she does drink about half the recommended amount of. She is just not hungry and has no appetite. She is very frail and finds anything exhausting, even eating (her lung capacity is shocking, too.
I have been trying to cook easy to eat foods for them once a week. Things like pumpkin soup, minestrone, stews and cottage pie.
Do any of you have suggestions of simple foods that are easy to digest but packed full of goodness? I don't think we can make Nanna eat more, so I want to make every mouthful count. I am going to cook for them at least 2-3 times a week from now on.

We tried to convince them to get meals on wheels. Instead they went out and bought TV dinners. Lean cuisine of all things!!! just what they need: to lose weight!

Any suggestions are mich appreciated.
Cheers, Saša

what a great grand daughter u are!!!

um off the top of my head mayb pasta dishes?? If you canmake them in advance and give them in containers of something to ur grandfather he could just re-heat them? So like spag bol and things like that. Or if you were to make say.. a lasange would he reheat it?

ill have a look around and see what else i can come up with..

i found a few helpful hints..

Control portion sizes. People need fewer calories as they get older, and they should eat a balanced, moderate diet to keep their weight under control.

2 Read the information that comes with all medications to find out if there are any dietary restrictions that accompany the medication.

Step3 Try to lower the sodium intake of a senior citizen, especially if he or she is at risk for high blood pressure.

Step4Make sure there is lots of fiber in the food you serve; this helps prevent constipation.

Step5 Serve low-sugar foods if the person you are feeding has diabetes or is at risk of becoming diabetic. A good diabetic cookbook will contain many helpful recipes and hints.

Step6 Serve heart-healthy foods ' low-fat, low-salt and preferably prepared from scratch. Prepare lots of healthy whole grains and vegetables, and cut down on red meat.

Step7 Make sure there is lots of calcium in the food you are cooking, or offer an easily absorbed calcium supplement; this helps prevent bone loss and osteoporosis in older people, especially women.

Step8Consult a hospital nutritionist or dietician if an older person needs to be hospitalized for any serious health problem; this will prepare you for any dietary restrictions or nutritional requirements that you may not have considered.

Step9 Serve food that is easy on dentures, if necessary. Some foods are too chewy or too sticky for denture wearers to eat comfortably.

tuna noodle casserole. this is easy to make, nutritious, and easy to chew/swallow.

1 packet pasta
2 cans tuna, drained
1 can or 2c frozen peas
1c milk
1 can cream of mushroom soup (can be any kind of "cream of " soup)
shredded cheese
breadcrumbs

cook pasta according to instructions and drain. pour into 2-3qt casserole dish. in large bowl, mix together soup,milk, peas,tuna, and cheese. add to pasta and mix well.

cover mixture w/breadcrumbs and cook at 350 for about 15-20 mins or until breadcrumbs are a golden brown.

A friend of mine used to work in a nursing home, and to up the fat content they would put full fat milk powder in a lot of things. Obviously check with a dietician first but I know its something they do to to thicken/fatten foods.

Thanks everyone!

Nanna has seen a nutritionist and he suggested increasing the fat content. Like eating her cereal with pure cream rather than milk. So I don't think I have to be too careful about offering low-fat food. If anything, the opposite.

I was also thinking of things like salmon and vege (maybe peas) quiche. Eggs are packed full of nutrition, too.

Oh, and by the way, I'm not their granddaughter, they are DH's grandparents. So that makes it a little harder as they love me, but don't want to admit to me that they need help. Dh's mum died of cancer when he was 9, they do have another daughter but she lives in Sydney, and TBH, she's not responsible enough to look after her parents. She's in complete denial about their health and age. Anyway, so it's DH and I who just live around the corner from them and we really do want to help as much as possible.
DH's dad is close to them, too, so is his step-mum, but they feel it is not really their place to step in too much. They do a fair bit already. The grandparents pretty much raised DH when his mum got sick until his dad remarried. So Dh is very close to them. They also have been very lovely to me, kind of taking me on as another grandchild (my grandparents have all passed and all my family is in Germany), so I love them to bits.
They are too proud to access other methods of help like meals on wheels or household help, which makes it really hard. If you ask me, they are in no state to do things like changing the sheets or doing the laundry. Until a couple of months ago they were looking after Nanna's 95 year old sister. We pretty much forced them to put her in a home. It was killing them looking after her.

Anyway, this is kinda off topic.
Thanks for all your input.
Saša

eggs are a great idea :)

When I was looking after a friends elderly parents I had the same problem. One of the things they didn't want was meals on wheels as they didn't like the food. There was another place that did a similar thing 3 day a week and we split the meals so they lasted longer. As they got older and sicker the sight of a large meal was a real turn off. Sometimes having the main meal for lunch helped and then they had desert for tea. Just be careful of putting to many meals in their freezer, for some reason it can also be a turnoff. The meals you do are great as they are easy to eat. Keep up the good work and know they appreciate all you do for them.

To help minimise the effort of chewing and swallowing, you can try mincing the food - not as smooth as baby food mut enough to take a lot of the work out of it for her... doing this means she can eat almost any foods because you're breaking it down for her already...

HTH and good on you for being so caring!

MG

For your grandmother you can buy ensure pudding from the chemist which is absolutely delicious, usually served 3 times a day. Or instead of sustagen try twocal drinks, they actually have higher calorie content than sustagen. If money is an issue Milo made with full cream milk is just as good as sustagen.

At the place I work, the residents usally have their main meal at lunch.

Breakfast usually consists of porridge, toast, prunes and a boiled egg.
Morning tea is a small piece of cake or crackers with full cream cheese and tomato
Lunch is usually roast meat with vegies, or a pasta dish. Fridays is always Fish and chips. ;) (its the only day everyone eats their lunch)
Afternoon tea is fruit, or a piece of cake or some yoghurt
Dinner is something small, usually a pasta bake, sausage rolls, sandwiches


My only other suggestion for you is to speak to a social worker at your local hospital and get them assessed by the Aged Care Assessment Team. They may be eligible for an aged care package, which may include someone coming around to help with house work and meals on wheels.

It will also mean that if within 12 months of the assessment being done either of them require full time care, the assessment process is already done and you dont have to waste time doing it before looking for permanent placement.

HTH

Clare, thanks for the suggestions. We have been talking about getting them assessed for a couple of months now (we have gone through the process with Nanna's sister and my MIL has done it with her mum, so we know the system a little). Pop agrees Nanna might need it, but flat out refuses to get himself assessed. I can so understand that they are reluctant. But it is really frustrating for us. They are so proud. He's the kind of person who can barely walk to the front door, but will still change his own tyre - and if it kills him.
We have been trying to convince him to stop drivung (he falls asleep mid-conversation sometimes) since he had a stroke last Christmas, but he insists that his doctor said he's fine to drive. If his doctor saw how many dings he gets on his car every week, he wouldn't say he's alright to drive. But this is a whole other issue.
If you ask me, it would be best if they both were in a home or at least had some in home care. But they don't want to do that and I actually understand them. It must be so hard to admit to yourself that this is not just a temporary situation, but that you are not going to get better. They are still of that mindset that Nanna is just sick, but the doctors will sort her out and then she'll be a spring chicken again...

Nanna has actually been prescribed some sort of nutrition shake. I don't know what it is, but it is apparently made for her exact situation.

Sorry for rambling on and on. It is actually so good to share, though. It really weighs on my mind a lot...
Thanks for listening.
Saša

Sasa, I just wanted to say what a lovely grandaughter-in-law I think you are :) I'm sure they appreciate everything that you do for them. I hope things get a bit better for them, and that they can live out their remaining years in peace and good health, surrounded by family.

My 2.5year old daughter's 90year old Great-Great Uncle (on DP's side of the Family) lives around the corner from us and he started getting Meals on Wheels (his wife passed away years ago) about 2months ago but even though he isn't much of a fussy eater her often tells me he truely doesn't enjoy their meals and he wants to stop getting them soon and instead go to a Senior Citizens Centre that provides a two-course meal for about $6 that can be eaten at the centre (unfortunately they don't provide home delivery) :rolleyes:

Does this bring back memories. How well do you know their Dr. If well, ring just before their next visit and tell him your concerns. Especially regarding help around the house. He can, in his own way, recommend they get help until your Nanna picks up as this will help her get better quicker. Once they start getting the home help, they realise after a bit that it does help and you go from there. With your concern re driving it is worth letting the Dr. know as he would be upset to know about his driving ability. Can you go to the Drs with them and go in with them? I started doing this and was amazed at the things I heard. We are fine usually meant something different. I also went through the same thing with the ACAT and while she was there asked her to do both.
All the best and make sure you look after yourself and don't get run down.

Smiles4U, I think it is great that your daughter's great-great uncle wants to actually go out to eat. I think this would be great for him to actually go out and socialise. People who eat alone tend to not enjoy their food and especially seniors often get depressed and lose their appetite when their all by themselves. So going and eating in company is fantastic if he's fit enough to do it.
Maybe he could do a combination. Maybe get Meals On Wheels 4 days a week and go out 3 days a week?
By the way, the thing we suggested to DH's grandparents wasn't actually Meals on WHeels but some other company offering the same service. I can't remembre what they were called, though. Not sure if they're any better.
Saša

Rivlas, I don't know their doctor at all and seeing that I'm "ONLY" their grandson's wife, they wouldn't let me go to the doctor with them. Their own daughter had a hard enough time getting them to let her come with them when she was here for a visit.
You are very right, though, what they say about their health is usually far from the truth. When Pop had a stroke last Christmas, he didn't tell anybody, didn't want to go to hospital because he was afraid they would take his licence. My FIL (their SIL) went over to visit them and noticed Pop was slurring his words and his face was drooping on one side. Turned out he had the stroke about 24 hours before that, but wanted to keep it a secret. Lucky my FIL just called him an ambulance although Pop was lamenting that it wasn't necessary. He ended up spending 2 weeks in hospital. He's much better now, fortunately. But it just shows the lngths he'll go to to remain independent.

Saša

Can you ask the nanna to tell you how to cook her favourite meals? She can just sit down and tell you what to do. If it's her favourite she might be more inclined to eat it and also you can dress it up as her doing you a favour by teaching you which might be easier on their pride.

Dach, that is a great idea. why didn't i think of that??? will just hve to do it when my ILs can look after Maya.