Who does your dad dine with each night? Is he alone for the majority of his meals and snacks? This is something your family needs to address on February 17th’s No One Eats Alone Day.
Research finds that 21% of older men live alone. If your dad’s alone all day and night, how often does anyone visit? Older adults often skip meals or have quick snacks and prepared foods when they’re on their own. His nutritional intake may not be ideal when he eats alone.
How do you make sure your dad is never alone for meals? Here are some of the best ways to ensure he has people to share meals with.
Take Him Out
Rotate weeks and have each member of your family take your dad out for a meal. Pick his favorite restaurant and enjoy a relaxed meal together. If your dad has errands to run, you can do that before or after the meal.
Hold Weekly Potluck Gatherings
For any close family friends and family members still living in the area, arrange a weekly potluck lunch or dinner. Then, everyone can bring a dish your dad enjoys and join him for a meal.
On weekends, if your dad is okay with the idea, you could do a luncheon or brunch and play games or watch movies after. He might enjoy having a movie day before a potluck dinner.
Before the event, arrive early and help your dad clean up. He may be self-conscious about his home being cluttered, but you can help him clean up to prevent him from trying to clean it up in a rush.
As everyone brings a dish, your dad doesn’t have to do anything in preparation. He’ll have plenty of people to talk to and has a variety of entrees or sides. Leave leftovers with him to provide several meals.
Look Into Senior Center Dinners
If there is a local senior center in your dad’s town, see if they do weekly dinner events. Some host dinners and dances every week or month. Your dad will have a hearty meal with his peers and enjoy dancing afterwards.
While his senior center may not host dinners like these, you may find them elsewhere. A local brewery may host a beer-tasting menu, where ticket holders gather for an evening, trying different beers and enjoying local cuisine. Wine tastings are another option.
See if local organizations host a murder mystery dinner party. There may be lake cruises, where people gather for a meal and cruise on the lake. Any of this can help your dad socialize and not have to eat alone.
Arrange Meal Preparation Services
One of the best ideas is to arrange in-home care for your dad. A caregiver stops by and helps him plan a weekly menu, takes him shopping for groceries, and carries everything in when they return.
Schedule meal preparation services from a local in-home care agency. Your dad has a caregiver to prepare a home-cooked meal for him and sit with him while he eats. Then, he has someone to talk to and share a meal with.
If you or an aging loved one are considering In-Home Care in Coronado, CA, please contact the caring staff at Aaron Home Care. (619) 880-5522
A Trusted Home Care Agency Serving La Jolla, Pacific Beach, Point Loma, San Diego, UTC, La Mesa, Chula Vista, Coronado, Bonita, Eastlake and the surrounding areas.
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In 1999, Aaron was named Residential Program Manager of a group home for disabled adults in Arlington, Virgina. Here, he built a reputation for being compassionate with his clients and efficient in company operations. In the years that followed, Washington DC’s human services field went through unprecedented reform when the city was fined $11 million for the previously unchecked abuse, neglect, and exploitation of the very population it was supposed to protect. In 2005, Aaron was selected by a watchdog company to co-create and implement a monitoring system to safeguard and advocate for the system’s most vulnerable residents. This system is still in use today.
Aaron is now using his unique gifts and profound experience in the human service field to provide San Diego County Seniors with dependable, compassionate caregivers through Aaron Home Care.
He currently serves on the board of the San Diego Regional Home Care Council and is an active member of the Senior Advocate Network of San Diego.
Aaron Home Care is a member of the American Board of Home Care and is accredited by the Better Business Bureau.
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