San Juan Capistrano, CA, January 22, 2008 — Contact:
Scott McCaskey
Goldman & Associates
757-625-2518
When Keeping Weight On – Not Off – Is a Serious Problem
While many of us wish we’d reconsidered before indulging in those holiday bon-bons, pies, and glasses of eggnog, there are people for whom weight loss, not weight gain, can be the chief concern: the elderly – especially those with memory impairment.
“These are individuals who may not eat because they’re depressed or because they forget to eat,” says Anne Ellett, vice president of health services for Silverado Senior Living, a California-based memory-care provider.
“It may be difficult to get them to sit long enough to have a meal or they might be having trouble swallowing,” Ellett said. “Or perhaps they’re not being offered foods that they like.”
Making things worse, very often their loved ones don’t realize this weight problem exists, she said.
Research points to the dangers of an underweight problem among the aged in America. A joint study by the University of California, Irvine and the University of Southern California that appeared in the May 15, 2006 American Journal of Epidemiology associated being underweight with higher mortality rates for those over 80. Study results published in the September 2006 Archives of Neurology show that the average rate of weight loss among the elderly doubles in the year before the first signs of memory impairment are detected.
For reasons such as those described, residents of Silverado’s memory-care communities live in a setting that a young or middle-aged food lover might consider paradise – where if someone wants steak and French fries for breakfast, then steak and French fries it is; where the pantry is always stocked with sandwiches, cookies and cake that are available 24/7; where foods that are easy for residents to carry and eat while they walk -- such as apples, bananas, cheeses and little cups of pudding -- are there for the taking. It’s also a setting where community staff is welcome to snack from the pantry, too, as long as they ask residents to share the snack with them – another tactic for encouraging eating.
“We get people to eat between meals,” says Ms. Ellett. “And we allow them to eat what they want to eat.” But, she says, a close eye is kept on nutrition; ice cream is often topped with fresh fruit and pasta lovers receive chicken and veggies with their noodles, for example.
Taking a comprehensive look at why a person is losing weight is essential, she said.
“At Silverado, we don’t just assume that weight loss is a given because a person is older and has memory impairment. We have a comprehensive program that looks at all chronic illnesses, medications being taken, possible depression, ability to swallow, food likes and dislikes, and we put together an all-inclusive program to meet the specific dietary needs and preferences of each memory-impaired resident.”
Over 1,100 memory-impaired people have re-learned to feed themselves while in Silverado’s care and more than 1,400 people have regained the ability to walk.
Silverado operates sixteen memory-care communities in California, Texas, and Utah, and its 11 Silverado at Home and Silverado Hospice service lines offer home care, care management, and hospice care in those states, as well. The company’s web site is: www.Silveradosenior.com.
