Your Proactive Caregiver Advocate Podcast: Dr. Cynthia Speaks!

Did you know that April is Minority Health Month?  Annually, this month is set aside for discussions on an array of health topics, needs, and concerns, hoping to shine lights on the many disparities that still exist in the 21st Century. In the caregiving world, caregiver awareness lags other populations, mainly because of a knowledge deficit on available services and resources in the minority communities.  

Listen in for more insight!

Thank you for journeying with me during the month of March. I appreciate you taking the time to hang out with me and learn about the importance of eating to stay healthy and feeding your loved-ones in healthy ways. Listen in for some closing thoughts on nutritional health.

Well, we did it! Remember, I committed the month of March (my birthday month) to share proactive tips to better care for our care recipients. The month of March has come to an end. The last blog on nutritional health will consider both, the caregiver, and the care recipient. Let us end the month by sharing insights on the fact that nutritional health goes both ways. The caregiver needs to eat healthily and provide healthy meals for our elderly parents or relatives. Listen in for more insight!

Don’t you ever count out the men in our society who cares for their loved-ones? Yes, I know; people think it is a female-oriented role. Tis true! That is accurate information, documented in an array of research journals. Men are navigating the role of caregiving from all aspects. I am not sure why as a society, we compare each other.  Caregiving does not have a gender. Male caregivers have the same goals and desires as female caregivers; to provide care and proper diet and nutrition to their elderly loved-ones. Listen in for more insight!

Caregivers, have you check on your loved one's mouth often, if not daily. Did you know bad teeth and poorly fitted dentures and painful gums can affect nutrition? Did you also know there are foods that are problematic with dentures and bad teeth? Maintaining a usual diet could have challenges to enjoying favorite foods. This does not suggest you have to forgo the array of foods you may like. We know what happens when someone tells us" NO." We want it even more, RIGHT? What to eat with a less than perfect set of choppers may surprise you. Listen in for more insight!

As I continue to honor my word of sharing nutritional health tips in March, let’s think about the foods seniors love to eat and the medicines they take daily. Some medications can affect appetite or the capacity to take in nutrients because of medications. Foods can augment, delay, or lessen drug absorption. Listen in for more insight.

We all have heard, an apple a day keeps the doctor away. What about those expensive nutritional supplements that are plentiful and questionable? We all want to achieve good nutritional health, and many will tell you supplements are the way, the truth, and the light. Listen in for more insight.

Healthy eating for seniors can help with illness and disease and better management of chronic health problems. To help older adults accomplish health benefits that align with proper eating, certain food groups should be avoided. Listen for more insight.

Disagreement among siblings rarely happens with wanting good nutritious meals for parents. We would all suffer if nutrition were not provided to our care recipients.  A significant part of being a caregiver is providing meals and snacks. How do you deal with siblings looking for their place in caring for an elderly parent? Listen in for more insight.

Seniors can have trouble eating such meals. They can choke and suffocate from foods caught in the throat. There are also health challenges that can create swallowing problems. There is a word for swallowing problems. It is dysphagia. Listen in for more insight.