Oatmeal is an accessible, inexpensive, simple, and highly nutritious way to start your day. This whole grain can provide a wide variety of health benefits, including antioxidants, minerals, fiber, protein, vitamins, and complex carbohydrate. These can produce sustainable energy and help your parent enjoy better brain functioning and focus throughout the day. Thanks to the fiber, it can also fill your parent up a produce a longer-lasting sense of satiety that can reduce cravings and help your parents to maintain a healthier weight. As a family caregiver, you understand how important it is to encourage your parent to eat a healthy diet, which starts with a healthy breakfast. But this does not mean that they need to eat the same oatmeal everyday. Variety can not only keep your parents breakfast interesting, which can encourage them to eat it more reliably, but is also a way to introduce other ingredients that provide an even wider range of health benefits.

Try some of these delicious and nutritious ways to serve oatmeal to your aging parents:

• Try putting old fashioned oats, milk or dairy alternative, fruit, and a sweetener such as honey in a glass jar and put it in the refrigerator before bed. The next morning the oats will have absorbed the moisture and be ready to eat, making it an easy and stress-free way to start the day. That’s perfect if you are able to visit your parent in the evening and want to make sure that they have a good breakfast waiting for them.
• Add health boosting ingredients such as chia seeds or ground flaxseed. These will do little to change the flavor, but will produce an extra boost of protein, fiber, and antioxidants.
• Integrate seasonal fruit to take advantage of the best flavor and the greatest concentration of vitamins and antioxidants. If your parent has difficulty chewing the fruits, consider cooking them down into a simple jam and swirling it into the oatmeal.
• Create a protein packed and more savory version by mixing in peanut butter. You can even create a nostalgic tasting breakfast by mixing in peanut butter and topping it with jam for a healthy breakfast reminiscent of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

If you have been looking for ways to improve your aging parent’s quality of life and support a better lifestyle as they age in place, now may be the ideal time for you to consider starting elder care for them. An elderly home care services provider can be with your parent on the schedule that is right for them, ensuring that they get the level of care that they need while also keeping you at the forefront of their care routine. This means providing individualized services tailored to your parent as an individual that address their needs while also encouraging them to live a lifestyle that is as healthy, safe, comfortable, and independent as possible as they age in place. These services can include safe and reliable transportation, running errands, assistance with personal care tasks, mobility support, meal preparation, companionship, and more.

If you or an aging loved one are considering elder care in Far West Houston, TX, please call the caring staff at At Your Side Home Care. We will answer all of your senior care questions. Call today: (832) 271-1600.

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Donna Wrabel, LMSW

Co-Owner at At Your Side Home Care

For most of us, the word "home" evokes warm feelings of comfort, security and well-being. For older adults, home also means holding tight to cherished memories and maintaining self-esteem and independence. When illness, injury or age make life a little more challenging, remaining at home in a comfortable, familiar environment encourages recovery and enhances the quality of life. Home can be defined as a private residence, an independent or assisted living facility or even a short term stay in the hospital, we recognize the additional benefits provided by a personal, professional assistant.

Our Certified Nurse Aides, 24-Hour Live-in Assistants and Home Health Aides are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. We also provide the security and confidence of 24-hour Telephone Assistance, so fast, reliable help is always available when it's needed. To learn more about our homecare services see our homecare services page.

Different people need different levels of homecare. To meet the requirements of our clients, At Your Side Homecare maintains consistent staffing levels of caring professionals. Homecare service is available for as little as a few hours a week, or as many as 24 hours a day, seven days a week

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