Ways To Satisfy a Senior’s Sweet Tooth in a Healthy Way

Providing an elder with a balanced, nourishing diet is not too difficult; convincing your loved one to consume these nutritional foods is the challenge.
As people age, their appetites often lag. Medications, pain, problems with teeth or swallowing, and the inability to taste certain flavors are only a few of the many causes of eating problems in the elderly.

Most elders will, however, eat sweets. Understandably, caregivers who are trying valiantly to provide good nutrition to their loved ones can become frustrated when the only foods their elders want are sugary and devoid of nutrients.

Here are a few things to keep in mind about seniors and sweets:

• Most sweets have a high calorie count and a significant amount of fat. While this combination is generally not good for middle-aged caregivers, it may be okay for a senior, since aging bodies tend to lose fat reserves. If your elder is carving ice cream and the doctor doesn't forbid it, then let them have ice cream. (Naturally, people with diabetes need sugar-free products, but you'll already know that if you care for someone with the disease.)
• When it comes to your loved one's diet, if they're seeing a doctor regularly and you are following the doctor's orders as much as possible, then you are doing all that you can. Don't expect to put a lot of weight on your frail, elderly parent or spouse. You can try to improve their nutrition, but that may be all you can realistically do.
• If your elder has problems chewing, swallowing or digesting foods, it's natural for him or her to choose a soft sweet, such as a cupcake, over tougher foods, like meat. Dentures and tooth pain are both common reasons for problems with swallowing or chewing in seniors. Check with a dentist in case your loved one's dentures need lining or adjusting, and if there are signs of other tooth issues. For problems with swallowing and digestion, see their doctor. These complications can be caused by a host of health conditions, such as Parkinson's or celiac disease. Medication and modified diets may be able to help some, not all, of these issues so, for our own sakes, we caregivers need to learn what we can control and what we simply need to accept.

Steps to introduce nutrition any way you can
Convincing a loved one to stick to healthy food can be challenging, so it's often best to start by injecting small amounts of nutrition into their dietary regimen. Here are a few steps to take when trying to get a senior to eat better:

• Find their favorite foods: First, make a list of foods that your elder liked best throughout their life. This list can offer insight into what to serve them now, even if you need to use different consistencies such as smoothies and purees.
• Don't deny dietary delights: I wouldn't try to eliminate sweets at this time. As mentioned above, most elders need calories and sweet treats are generally high in calories. Also, our loved ones have likely suffered many losses as they've gotten older. Allowing them to eat foods they enjoy seems only right. (Again, people with diabetes need special consideration, but sugar substitutes are available. Stevia, a plant extract that is 300 times sweeter than sugar, is now quite popular as a sugar substitute, but there are others. You'll need to experiment to find what tastes best to your loved one.)
• Temperature is important: My personal experience with my mother taught me that cool foods often go down better than hot. This is highly individual, however. Warm foods may be more appealing to some. Observe your loved one to see if they seem to have a preference.
• The power of the simple smoothie: Smoothies are all the rage among health food gurus, but don't write them off as a fad. Homemade smoothies can be full of nutrients, taste delicious and deliver much-needed calories. They can also adjusted to appeal to a senior's sweet tooth (see this recipe for a senior-friendly Shamrock Shake). The smoothies you make will be varied, but aim to include lots of fruits and vegetables, plain or vanilla yogurt or soy milk for a base, liquid multiple vitamins or an opened vitamin capsule, and powdered protein. Some vitamins and supplements for seniors can interfere with certain medications, so be sure to clear them with the doctor first. You can adjust the smoothie's thickness to the preference of your elder by adding ice cubes or water. Very dark green vegetables (such as kale) may taste bitter, so go easy on those at first. I'd begin by using mostly fruit for flavoring. Strawberries, blueberries and other sweet berries are usually enjoyed. These can be found frozen when out of season. Toss in a banana for some much-needed potassium and blend well. (A note on experimenting with flavor: most powdered proteins have some added sweetener already, but if you have one that tastes bitter, you can use stevia to sweeten the drink. Many proteins also come with flavoring such as chocolate, but that limits the other flavors from nutritious food that you can add. If your elder can't eat yogurt, look for a soy-based substitute. Eventually, you can make up smoothies with different vegetables and other foods that you can pulverize. There are many smoothie books on the market that can provide inspiration.)
• Mealtime shouldn't be a battle: Offering small bites of other foods such as meat, potatoes and vegetables, to a resistant loved one is necessary if you have any chance of tempting them to eat. But be aware that repeatedly offering foods that are unappealing may simply diminish their appetite even more. Be careful not to turn meal time into a battle of wills. Your loved one will likely end up eating less in the end.
• It's okay to be sneaky when it comes nutrition: Look for cookbooks with recipes that teach you how to "hide" nutrition in sweets and other preferred foods. There are many on the market, including those aimed at moms with children who are picky eaters. This is one of the few times that I feel it is okay to look to children's remedies for aging adults. Under these circumstances, hiding nutrition isn't demeaning, it's practical.
• Keep portions small: Even if it's just a smoothie, pour it in a small glass and offer it frequently.
• Pureed foods versus smoothies: If a physician or dietician has recommended pureed foods because of your loved one's swallowing issues, work with the professional to come up with the best consistency of the food you plan on offering them. If your elder will eat pureed foods, that's great. Personally, I haven't seen much enthusiasm for them. In fact, I've seen grimaces, heard comments about "baby food," and seen lots of refusals, including spitting. I'd much rather offer a power house full of nutrition in the form of a smoothie that will be consumed than offer standard pureed foods that will be rejected.

Unless the physician has banned a particular food because of diabetes or another disease, it's perfectly fine to allow your loved one to eat a cupcake or other appetizing dessert often. Even though you're trying to improve their nutrition, you want to offer enjoyment as well as calories.

If I make it to 80, I hope that my appetite – or lack thereof – is respected and that I can have foods that I like, even if they aren't "good for me." In my opinion, unless the food is a direct health threat, our elders have earned this right.

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Assets You Can Have to Still Qualify for Medicaid

Medicaid is health insurance that helps people who can't afford medical care pay for their medical expenses.

Medicaid is designed for low-income people age 65 and older. (Certain people younger than age 65, particularly those who have disabilities, can also qualify for Medicare, but they must meet certain criteria.)

Many people feel that because they own a home or have some assets that they can't qualify for Medicaid help with their nursing home and doctor's bills. The truth is there are a variety of assets people can own and still qualify. It's just a matter of knowing the rules, and making a plan to meet those requirements.

Here are the asset limits for those applying for Medicaid. They include:

• Cash – You can possess $2,000 cash that will not be counted as an asset in determining your Medicaid eligibility.
• Home – There is a $500,000 exclusion toward your home, meaning that if your home is valued at $500,000 or less at the time of your application, your home is excluded as an asset. Some states use the higher permitted exemption of $750,000.
• Car – Up until recently, you could exclude only one car at a value of $4,500 or less, however that law has been changed. Now, one automobile of ANY current market value is excluded on your application.
• Funeral and Burial Funds – If you have a pre-planned funeral or memorial arrangement, the entire value of that plan is excluded. If you do not, a separate bank account that contains $1,500 toward funeral expenses can be excluded. If you have pre-purchased burial plots, you can exclude not only the costs of the plot for the applicant, but for the entire family, and still be eligible for Medicaid.
• Property – According to federal law, any real or personal property that is essential to self-support, regardless of value or rate of return, is excluded. That could include farms, rental properties and other real estate investments that generate income necessary for self-support. For rental income, however, the property must generate at least 6 percent of its value annually in order to qualify for the exclusion.
• Life Insurance – Only the cash value of a life insurance policy owned by the applicant is counted, thus, all term policies are ignored.

There are so many other rules that can benefit those who aren't sure they'll have enough when the time comes. The key is to plan now and act now. These laws exist for your protection, and avoiding the discussion and the planning necessary to take care of the potential complications just because it is an unpleasant topic will only result in a more unpleasant conversation when you realize you're not ready when the worst happens. That can be a very expensive dilemma. Peace of mind right now, however, won't cost a dime, and could save you hundreds of thousands of dimes later.

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Remember the One Drink Rule

When my Charlie was a young man, like most young men, he was a beer drinker.
Then he entered pilot training.

He was in the officers club one evening during his flight training, drinking a beer, when a superior officer came up to him and said, "Son, if you're going to be a pilot, you need to learn to drink martinis."

And so it began, Charlie's years of drinking martinis.

Someone once gave him a towel for Christmas that read: One martini, two martinis, three martinis, floor! This was so true, especially as he got older.

Martinis are almost pure gin with a bit of flavoring thrown in, much higher alcohol content than beer or wine, for example. While the martinis had little noticeable effect on the young Charlie, on the elderly Charlie they took their toll.

The solution was to switch to wine; an adjustment he made easily. But he has now found that three glasses of wine are two glasses too many.

You see, the body of an elderly person metabolizes alcohol differently than that of a younger person. There is a decrease in the total body water in older people. They also tend to have more body fat. These two physiological problems result in a much higher blood alcohol concentration in the elderly than in younger people from the same number of drinks.

There is evidence that a single drink per day may give some health benefit to the elderly. One drink has been shown to protect against coronary heat disease, myocardial infarctions and Type 2 diabetes among other things.

But the secret here is the word: single.

Charlie has always been a person who thinks more is better in everything he does.Two hammers are better than one, although you can only use one at a time, two vitamin pills per day are better than one, although your body will eliminate the unneeded vitamins, two canes are better than one, although one sits in the corner unused – see what I mean?

Ergo – he thinks two drinks (or three or four) are better than one, although tests have shown the exact opposite.

The size of the glass is also a problem when deciding how much alcohol is a good thing.A moderate drink is defined as one 12 ounce beer, a five ounce glass of wine, or one-and-a-half ounces of spirits.
Remember the problem we had with Charlie's water consumption? He thought he was supposed to be drinking eight 16 ounce glasses of water per day, rather than eight 8 ounce glasses. There is a big difference.

Over consumption of alcohol can be a primary factor in the development of dementia.
This type of dementia is known as Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome. It causes damage to multiple nerves in both the central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system, possibly related to the lack of Vitamin B1 (Thiamine).

People with this syndrome tend to have trouble with problem solving, learning, memory impairment and fabrication (making up stories to cover memory loss). They tend to have poor judgment, and undergo personality changes.

Sleep disturbances in the elderly are also to be expected in one who consumes too much alcohol. They suffer from insomnia and breathing disturbances that disrupt sleep. A person who has sleep problems should avoid alcohol consumption at bedtime.

If you are a person who enjoys an occasional alcoholic beverage, you may be doing your health some good. But remember, the secret is one drink!

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