Include Home Health Care Nutrition Therapy In Your Recuperative Process
As you consider whether to have a home health care provider spend time with you during your recuperation, the aspect of nutrition therapy may not have crossed your mind. Your kitchen already may be stocked with boxed meals and frozen dinners, but a home caregiver can make sure you get one or two freshly prepared and highly nutritious meals every day so you don't rely entirely on processed and convenience foods.
The Importance of Nutrition for Recovery
Your body needs sufficient vitamins and minerals to heal. That healing process can be delayed if you don't get the nutrition you need. Taking supplements generally isn't considered the best way to obtain nutrients, although doing so can help if you're lacking in certain specific vitamins or minerals. Eating healthy food is better, as it contains many beneficial substances you just can't get with supplements.
A Consultation With a Dietitian
Some home health agencies have a registered dietitian on staff who can meet with you and help you create a weekly menu that is to your liking. Your dietitian will want to cooperate with you and help you design a meal plan that includes foods you love while also being beneficial during your healing.
Especially if you have some important and complex dietary needs that you have just started to deal with, working with a dietitian provides a substantial advantage. You might have recently been diagnosed with celiac disease, for instance, and now can no longer eat gluten. A diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes also calls for dietary modification. If you have been through rigorous treatment for a serious illness, you need nutritious food to build your strength and perhaps to put some weight back on.
The Role of the Home Caregiver in Nutrition Therapy
Typically, individuals who provide short-term care in a client's home are nursing assistants or home health aides. These persons who help you at home can provide a variety of services, such as assisting you with bathing and grooming and doing light housekeeping.
Your caregiver also can shop for your food and prepare breakfast, lunch or dinner -- or all three. This practitioner might have lunch with you, for example, and also create a fresh meal you can make for dinner later by popping it into the oven or microwave.
Learning About Services in Your Area
Contact home health agencies like The Village At Morrisons Cove in your area and learn about their nutrition therapy services. Ask whether they have a registered dietitian you can work with. As you recuperate, you'll be truly grateful for this aspect of home care. Not only will you be eating healthy food everyday, your meals will taste great as well.
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