Homecare in Braintree MA: A Healthy Diet Helps the Body

A Healthy Diet Helps the Body in Multiple Ways: Here’s How

What do your parents eat? Studies have shown that older adults tend to eat too much folate and salt from processed and ready-to-eat foods.
Saturated fats are another issue. During the pandemic, the restaurant industry found that online takeout orders from older Americans increased by more than 400 percent. How healthy are your parents’ choices?

A healthy diet helps the body in many ways. Antioxidants help the cells. Protein helps the muscles. Calcium and vitamin D help the bones and teeth. Food provides the energy you need. Some foods also help lower the risk of certain types of cancer.

 

Homecare in Braintree MA: A Healthy Diet Helps the Body
Homecare in Braintree MA: A Healthy Diet Helps the Body

 

Ten of the Best Foods to Eat Regularly

What should your parents try to eat daily? Here are 10 foods they should incorporate in their meals and snacks.

 

#1 – Almonds

Almonds are a great snack eaten raw. They’re also high in calcium, fiber, iron, and vitamin E. If your parents don’t like them as snacks, add slivered almonds to steamed green beans. Another idea is to crush them and use them in place of bread crumbs to make baked chicken or fish fingers.

 

#2 – Apples

Apples are high in antioxidants like vitamins A, B2, B6, C, and E. This makes them one of the best for helping the body’s immune system. Eat an apple as a snack or turn it into a healthy dessert by coring it and filling it with a mix of chopped nuts, oats, spices, and maple syrup.

 

# 3– Blueberries

Lutein is a phytonutrient that helps with eye health. Blueberries and other purple berries contain a lot of it. They also have a good deal of fiber, manganese, and vitamins C and K. The easiest way to eat them is by taking frozen blueberries and adding them to breakfast smoothies.

 

#4 – Broccoli

As one of the most common cruciferous vegetables, broccoli can be eaten raw or cooked. It helps lower the risk of certain kinds of cancers. Eat it for calcium, iron, potassium, and vitamins C, E, and K.

 

#5 – Kale

Kale is the best leafy, green vegetable to include in the daily diet. Puree it into breakfast smoothies or add it to a tomato-rich broth for a quick, nutritious vegetable soup. Kale is high in vitamins C and K.

 

Let Senior Care Aides Cook for Your Mom and Dad

Do your parents have a hard time planning and cooking balanced meals? They’re not alone. As you age, arthritis pain makes it harder to slice, chop, and dice ingredients. It’s harder to carry a heavy pasta pot from a stove to the sink. It can be hard to bend over and lift a casserole from the oven.

A healthy diet doesn’t have to be an impossible goal. Hire senior care services to help your parents plan weekly menus. Not only will the caregiver take them shopping for groceries, but the caregiver can bring them in and put them away. The caregiver can also cook those meals and clean up after. Call a senior care specialist to make arrangements.

 

If you or an aging loved one are considering hiring a Homecare in Braintree, MA, call the caring staff at Rivers of Hope today at 508-857-0629. Providing Independent, Dependent, and Companion Care Services in Brockton, Boston, Braintree, Avon Randolph, Abington, and the surrounding areas. riversofhopes.com

 

Sources:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/

https://www.nrn.com/

Elderly Care in Braintree MA: Senior Heat Bills

Is Your Parent Struggling to Pay the Heat Bill?

Elderly Care in Braintree MA: Senior Heat Bills
Elderly Care in Braintree MA: Senior Heat Bills

With the temperatures falling, your aging parent may be starting to worry about the increased cost of their energy bill.

Some seniors have difficulty paying their heat bill because of a limited income. That can cause them to keep the temperature in the house set too low. According to the National Institutes of Health, older adults are at risk for hypothermia if the thermostat is set lower than 68 degrees Fahrenheit.

 

Being exposed to temperatures lower than that for an extended period of time could result in hypothermia. Family caregivers who are trying to help their elderly parents lower their heating bills without lowering the thermostat may want to try some of the energy-saving tips below.

 

Take Advantage of Sunlight

During the day, open blinds and curtains to allow as much sunlight into the house as possible. This will naturally warm the house. Then, when the sun starts to go down, caregivers should close blinds and curtains again to trap the heat in, keeping the house warmer longer.

 

Make Use of Other Heat Sources

Although caregivers should remind their parents never to use the oven to heat the house, it’s okay to take advantage of certain activities around the house that generate heat. On a cold day, a family caregiver might want to spend the day at their parent’s house cooking multiple meals to freeze for later dates. The oven’s heat will warm up the house and the oven is being monitored because the caregiver is using it for cooking. Another way to add heat to the home is for the older adult to take a shower with the bathroom door open to release the heat into other parts of the house.

 

Encourage Seniors to Dress Warmly

Keeping the thermostat set at 68 degrees may still feel cold to your parents. To keep them feeling warmer and eliminate the need to turn up the heat, encourage your parents to dress in warm layers and wear socks in the house. If you’re concerned about them slipping while wearing socks, suggest that they also wear shoes or purchase socks with rubber grips on the bottom.

 

Turn Down the Water Heater

Turning the water heater down a few degrees can also save energy and lower the bill. If your parent’s water heater is set at 140 degrees Fahrenheit, consider lowering the temperature to 120 degrees. Water will still be warm enough for a comfortable shower and to get dishes and clothing clean.

 

If you or an aging loved one are considering hiring Elderly Care in Braintree, MA, call the caring staff at Rivers of Hope today at 508-857-0629. Providing Independent, Dependent, and Companion Care Services in Brockton, Boston, Braintree, Avon Randolph, Abington, and the surrounding areas. riversofhopes.com

 

Sources
Daveramsey.com
Today.com
Nih.gov