Page 45 - Senior Link Magazine Fall 2023 - Online Magazine

OPPORTUNITY
TO Serve

FEED SENIORS NOW

by Lisa Carson
ood nutrition contributes to a superior quality
of life for seniors. At Comfort Keepers, we help weekend meal program. These seniors often have no other
Gseniors live healthy, independent lives and promote means to obtain weekend food other than what is provided
senior nutrition through our Feed Seniors Now initiative. through Lubbock Meals on Wheels. Throughout the month
Seventeen percent of all seniors in Texas are at risk of of September, Comfort Keepers of Lubbock encourages
hunger; one in six seniors struggles with hunger. businesses, organizations, and churches to hold food and
fund drives to collect specific food items for the LMOW

As seniors age and change, so do their nutritional needs. weekend meal program.
Making sure those needs are met makes a real difference in
their quality of life. Caregivers or family members should be Food items to be collected include the following:
aware of the signs and symptoms of hunger or malnutrition Individually sized cheese crackers, peanuts, peanut butter
in older adults, which include the following: crackers, Chef Boyardee meals, small cans of tuna, chicken,
Vienna sausages and Beanie Weenies, and 10.75 oz cans of
• Physical problems – Look for such things as poor wound soup. Expired items cannot be used
healing, easy bruising, and dental difficulties.
• Weight loss – Check with either a home scale or by Please contact Comfort Keepers at (806) 687-7800 to help Feed
transporting the older adult to the doctor’s office for weight Seniors Now.
checks when the individual is unable to stand without
assistance.
• Eating habits – Ask them to tell you where and when they
eat, but don’t rely on self-reports alone. Since our caregivers
(the people we call Comfort Keepers®) often spend mealtimes
with seniors at home, they may have a better idea of normal
eating habits. We suggest family members visit during
mealtimes which can improve a senior’s consumption. If a
senior lives alone, make sure you know who is buying his or
her food.
• Medication (regularity and food interaction) – Know
what an older loved one takes and whether it can affect appetite
and digestion. Use the resources available (including your
pharmacist) to check for drug-nutrient interactions or possible
side effects of prescribed medications.
Senior safety and
If there are medical questions regarding nutrition,
medication, and health, Comfort Keepers suggests that well- -being is what we do
seniors, their family members, and other caregivers speak
with doctors about tests to help identify chronic malnutrition In-Home Senior Care Services
or other nutrition-related problems. • Personal care • Dementia and
• Companionship Alzheimer's care
Nourishing seniors is an important part of maintaining and housekeeping • Safety solutions
senior independence. Comfort Keepers champions senior • Respite care
nutrition in the community through the Feed Seniors Now
food drive. (806) 687-7800
2517 74th Street, Lubbock, TX 79423
Comfort Keepers of Lubbock is partnering with Lubbock Uplifting In-Home Care | ComfortKeepers.com
Meals on Wheels (LMOW) to feed seniors on the LMOW
weekend meal program; 51% of LMOW clients are on the © 2020 CK Franchising, Inc. Most offices independently owned and operated. 0720

Lubbock Senior Link 45