Worried about your loved ones nutrition? What to Look For When You Visit

Are their clothes hanging differently? Is a ring or a watch sliding around? Unplanned weight loss of even five to ten percent over a few months is worth a doctor's attention. Other signs show up in the body: skin that bruises or tears easily, thinning hair, a weaker grip, jars they used to open now sitting closed on the counter. Frequent colds, cuts that heal slowly, and new confusion can all trace back to poor nutrition.

Then look at the kitchen. A nearly empty fridge tells you something, and so does a full one where everything has expired. Watch for untouched deliveries in the freezer, pans that stay clean, and a trash can with no food packaging in it. These are quiet clues, and easy to miss if you aren’t sure what to look for.

If you see these signs, resist the urge to fix it at the dinner table. Not eating is usually not stubbornness. Medications can flatten appetite or cause nausea, dental pain makes chewing miserable, swallowing can become difficult, grief and isolation take an appetite away, and hunger and thirst signals fade with age. All of those are treatable, and all of them need a clinician. Bring what you notice to their doctor, who can check with an exam and blood work. Your Family First Care Team can help you decide what to say.