How to Make Meal Plans for an Elderly Person With Diabetes

Making Meal Plans for any diabetic is almost like being an expert juggler. You have to balance what the patient wants to eat against what will keep his/her blood sugar at an acceptable level while providing all the nutrients needed to stay healthy.
Add in an elderly person's difficulty chewing, diminished sense of taste, and lack of appetite for even more "balls" to juggle.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Guidance from the patient's doctor and/or nutritionist
• Reference materials to show portion size, carb count, etc. for a wide variety of foods
• Patience
• A bit of creativity

1. The first important step is to get guidance from the elderly diabetic's health professionals. In order to prepare the proper meal plans, you need to know how many servings of protein, carbs, etc. the patient is supposed to have daily. You also need to know how often the patient is supposed to check blood sugar levels. Unless they're instructed to check before and after meals, the usual guidance is that they shouldn't eat anything for two hours prior to testing so you need to plan snacks accordingly.

2. Now that you have some general guidance (and a reference guide to show you portion sizes, carb counts, etc. for a wide variety of foods,) it's time to consider the specific needs/wants of your elderly diabetic.
   
   Does your diabetic have difficulty chewing and/or swallowing? That will obviously impact the types of choices you include on the meal plan. Since many diabetics also experience problems with high blood pressure, be sure to choose foods that are low in sodium and then boost the flavor with herbs. Make sure to build in foods your elderly diabetic absolutely has to have ... or at least "safe" variations of their favorites. If decreased appetite makes in difficult/impossible for your elderly diabetic to eat everything they should in three regular sized meals and small snacks, try beefing up the snacks in your meal plan.
   Be sure to build in choices. For example, a snack usually combines a serving of protein with one of carbs. The meal plan could suggest: 1 ounce of cheese with the appropriate number of crackers, 1 tablespoon of peanut butter with a slice of whole grain bread, a serving of cottage cheese with fruit, or a low fat fruit yogurt.

3. Just like packing a well-balanced sack lunch that your child throws away or trades for junk food doesn't help your offspring's nutrition, the most expertly crafted meal plan won't benefit your elderly diabetic unless he/she actually follows it.
   Once you've developed the plan, try to monitor your elderly diabetic for a few days to observe how it's being implemented. Does the elderly diabetic understand and comply with portion control? Is everything actually being consumed on schedule? Are blood sugars within the acceptable range?

4. Be sure to check back at regular intervals to see if the meal plans continue to work for your elderly diabetic. Make any necessary modifications.

Tips & Warnings

• Help ensure compliance by making provision for the elderly diabetic's favorite ice cream (try substituting low fat sugar free versions)or cookies in safe amounts several times a week.
• Be sure the plan includes provisions for days when the elderly diabetic doesn't feel like making meals (diabetic meal replacement bars, canned drinks, etc.)
• Develop a simple journal your elderly diabetic can use to record what he/she eats each day (and when) along with blood sugar levels. This will help you adjust the meal plan as needed.
• Be sure to ask the elderly diabetic's health professionals how to plan for sick days. How should the meal plan be modified? Should blood sugar be monitored more frequently.
• Don't forget that every diabetic has "trigger foods" that raise their blood sugar higher than they're supposed to. If it seems your elderly diabetic is complying with the meal plans but still has spiking sugar levels, look for a pattern. Is there a particular food that's consumed before high readings? Problem solved! Eliminate the food (or reduce the size of the serving if it's a favorite.)