After a stroke, rest and nourishing food are essential parts of recovery. The right diet gives seniors the nutrients they need to rebuild their bodies and avoid additional strokes. Generally, a good diet after a stroke contains a balanced mix of whole grains, lean protein, fresh fruits, and vegetables, but there are a few items that are particularly helpful. Most foods a senior should eat during stroke recovery fall into these key categories.
Nutritious Liquids
Strokes can make it difficult to coordinate all the muscles needed to chew food, so some prefer to get a lot of their nutrition through liquids instead. At this stage, anything that provides calories without causing choking is a good choice because it prevents having to use a feeding tube. Some good options include hearty bone broths, fruit smoothies, vegetable smoothies, milk, protein shakes, and pureed soups. Many seniors have diminished taste after a stroke, so you may need to add extra spices or sweetener to make the liquids palatable for your aging loved one.
Recovering from a stroke, managing the symptoms of Alzheimer’s, and a variety of other health-related situations can make it difficult for a senior to continue living at home without someone there to help. Orlando live-in care professionals are trained to help seniors who need 24/7 assistance. With the help of a live-in caregiver, your elderly loved one can maintain a higher quality of life while aging in place.
Soft and Easy-to-Chew Foods
To further reduce the risk of choking and make mealtimes less frustrating, you may want to focus on softer foods during the early stages of stroke recovery. Consider making things such as porridge, custard, scrambled eggs, mashed potatoes, and rice pudding. To make foods more nutritious, add olive oil, maple syrup, or peanut butter to increase your loved one’s overall calorie intake and ensure his or her body gets the energy it needs to heal.
Frustration-Free Finger Foods
Even if your loved one has no difficulty chewing or swallowing following a stroke, eating may still be a challenge if he or she cannot use a knife and fork easily. Many seniors lose weight after strokes because eating is a challenge and they feel awkward. There are plenty of nutritious meal options you can make that solve this problem. Bite-sized chicken nuggets or fish sticks provide protein, while veggie sticks and sliced fruit provide plenty of vitamins and minerals.
If your senior loved one needs help managing an illness or assistance with daily tasks, make sure you choose a top-rated provider of home care. Altamonte Springs Prestige Home Care is here to help your loved one live a happier and healthier life in the golden years. From the mentally stimulating activities in our Cognitive Therapeutics Method to our friendly Care Managers who are available to answer your questions 24 hours a day, we offer a wide array of high-quality at-home care services.
Foods That Boost Brain Health
Certain categories of food—primarily certain fats and antioxidants—are generally good for brain health. Seniors can get healing antioxidants from blueberries, tomatoes, pomegranates, and leafy greens, and they can increase omega-3 fatty acid intake by eating fish, avocados, nuts, and seeds. These ingredients are essential for building a healthy brain.
Heart-Healthy Foods
Following one stroke, seniors have a fairly high risk of a second stroke if they don’t work hard to boost their cardiovascular health. A diet rich in fiber from beans, whole wheat toast, oats, and barley can lower blood pressure. Red grapes are also quite heart healthy, since they contain a compound called resveratrol that makes blood vessels more flexible and less prone to breakage.
Seniors can face a variety of age-related challenges. Though some families choose to take on the caregiving duties, there may come a time when they need a trusted Windermere elderly home care provider. Families sometimes need respite from their duties so they can focus on their other responsibilities, and some seniors need around-the-clock assistance that their families are not able to provide. Prestige Home Care is here to help. Schedule a free in-home consultation by giving us a call today at (407) 232-7155.