As the human body ages, senior patients over 65 may experience new digestive health conditions that can affect their diets and lifestyle habits. Foods that were once easily enjoyed now cause incredible discomfort and are difficult to process.
Gastroenterologists and other digestive health specialists are challenged to help their patients overcome these obstacles while also maintaining a nutritious diet. Because various foods affect each individual differently, finding a solution can prove more stressful than originally thought.
Contributing Factors to Digestive Health Issues in Seniors
Some factors that impact digestive health in seniors may include:
Food Deserts – Lack of Access to Healthy Options
A “food desert” occurs when a person has no easy access to fresh and healthy foods. This is commonly thought of as a phenomenon mostly affecting heavily urbanized communities. However, for seniors that struggle with mobility issues, their own neighborhood may be a food desert if they now face difficulty traveling to local grocery stores and going food shopping.
Lack of healthy food in the home may result in patients opting for easier, more processed meals and snacks. Regular consumption of these foods can diminish healthy digestive function and contribute to a lower quality-of-life.
Improper Diet
Senior patients that do not practice healthy dietary habits may also face digestive health conditions. As the body changes, foods that you enjoy in your younger years may not process as easily when tried again decades later.
However, people are creatures of habit, and we tend to prefer to eat what we like. Without guidance, a patient may not know what foods they can eat that are both enjoyable and diet-friendly. It would be up to a dietary specialist to help advise them.
Physical Conditions
Senior patients are often at risk of developing chronic mobility conditions compared to younger populations. For example, a person may require a wheelchair later in life to move around, or they may experience difficulty swallowing solid food.
For some, it feels easier to limit or restrict their diet in unhealthy ways to cope with these new physical challenges. This can also impact the digestive system and continue to cause great discomfort for seniors.
Other Contributing Factors
According to the Cleveland Clinic, here are some other major factors that can impact senior digestive health:
- Medication Complication – A single medication, or complication of multiple medications, may include side effects like constipation, abdominal pain, and other similar conditions.
- Physical Inactivity and Dehydration – These can worsen certain conditions like dehydration and cause further discomfort.
- Gravity – Over time, gravity can impact the diaphragm and cause conditions like hiatal hernias that result in uncomfortable heartburn and acid refulx.
- Sedentary Lifestyle – Sedentary lifestyles, weakened sphincter muscles, and frequent constipation can contribute to hemorrhoids and make bowel movements uncomfortable.
Meal Delivery Gives Digestive Health Specialists a Real Treatment Option for Patients
At DeliverLean Care, we partner with general and specialized medical providers to offer insurance-covered meal delivery solutions for senior patients. We believe that healthy, delicious-tasting foods can be within reach for any aging adult without requiring preparation beyond warming in the microwave.
Here are some ways that senior meal delivery can help your patients:
Dietician-Designed for All Dietary Needs
Our team of professional dieticians collaborates with our gourmet chefs to develop whole ingredient-driven menus that offer delicious taste and are sensitive to a patient’s dietary needs. Choose from low-sodium, vegetarian, or any of our other plans that can best match your treatment plan. For those that observe religious diet restrictions, we have them covered, too.
Fresh, Whole Ingredients
Eating meals crafted from fresh, whole ingredients can contribute to noticeable improvements in digestive health. We only craft dishes using these kinds of ingredients. Anything less doesn’t accomplish our goal to provide your patients with better meals.
Designed Specifically For Senior Patients
DeliverLean Care is designed specifically to serve your patients. Meals are already prepared, delivered fresh to their doors, and require no more than a microwave to warm up. Each meal is also complete with nutrients that are selected specifically to benefit senior health.
Covered by Insurance
For many seniors living on fixed incomes, adding new expenses of any sort can be stressful or feel impossible. This may also seem like a roadblock for medical providers that want to provide their patients with the best care but cannot request that they make an out-of-pocket purchase.
Fortunately, our senior meal delivery is covered by most insurance. Digestive health specialists and other medical providers can order plans for their patients and have them delivered by us on your behalf. You can select the exact meal plan that best supports your treatment strategy for specific patients.
Get Started with Meal Delivery for Digestive Health Patients Today
For your senior patients experiencing digestive health difficulties, you don’t want to wait to provide them much-needed symptom relief. We want to partner with you in your mission to elevate the quality of care.
If you are a digestive health specialist looking to improve the quality of food your patients eat, view our meal plans or contact us anytime for more information.