Understanding emotional overeating is way more important than you or your senior might realize. Since April is National Emotional Overeating Awareness Month, it’s the perfect time to talk with your senior about her eating habits and whether emotional eating is sometimes more a part of her life than she would like it to be. Having home care providers available can assist with monitoring the situation.
Recognizing Emotional Overeating
Home Care Sharon MA – What You Need to Know about Emotional OvereatingEmotional overeating might not be easy for you to notice in your senior at first. If she’s gaining weight without a reason that seems to make sense, she may be overheating. If she is experiencing worsening health numbers, like her blood pressure and blood sugar levels being too high, that might also be a sign of emotional overeating. Also, if you’re noticing that she doesn’t seem to stock healthy foods or the trash is full of “junk” food remnants, she may be emotionally overeating.
Understanding Emotional Overeating Triggers
The triggers for emotional overeating can vary from one person to another. But often the biggest causes involve stress, loneliness, and boredom. If your elderly family member has been hiding how she feels when you’re around, you might not understand why she’s experiencing some of these feelings. What can help is to talk to your aging family member about how you can help her to address her personal triggers. That might mean bringing in home care providers for assistance with personal tasks that are becoming difficult, for instance.
Sometimes emotional overeating could be related to a combination of factors, some of them being medical in nature. Side effects from medications and feelings around health issues could be just a few of those concerns. Talking with your elderly family member’s doctor can help you to figure out what might be going on to trigger some of what she’s experiencing.
Swap Out Healthier Choices for Some Favorite Snacks
Overeating can be a lot worse if the options your senior has for snacking tend to be full of empty calories. Snacking on healthier foods sends nutrients into your senior’s body that help to keep her fueled. Find options that she likes that might help to stand in for some of the snacks she’s been eating more of lately.
Hire Home Care Providers to Assist with Other Stressful Matters
Talk with your senior about what other triggers she might be experiencing that could have her overeating. If she’s stressed because caring for herself is more difficult than it used to be, then having help with those personal care tasks might be important. Home care aides can make your senior’s life so much easier and help to keep her as safe as possible, too. Caregivers can adjust their assistance to meet her needs.
Getting a handle on emotional overeating is important to help your senior ensure that she is getting the nutrients that she needs without a lot of empty calories that her body doesn’t need. Plus, she can address her emotional needs in ways that are healthier overall.
If you or an aging loved one are considering Home Care Services in Sharon MA, or anywhere in Eastern Massachusetts, please call the caring staff at CARE Resolutions – at (508) 906-5572.
Helping Hands, Happy Hearts
Specializing in Quality Home Care in Eastern Massachusetts.
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