A Different Kind of Weight Control Issue: Keeping Pounds O... ( SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO Calif. Oct. 1...)

A Different Kind of Weight Control Issue: Keeping Pounds On, Not Off

Date:10/17/2008

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, Calif., Oct. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Halloween candy, Thanksgiving turkey, holiday eggnog, cookies and cake: We're nearing the time of year that keeping one's weight under control becomes especially challenging. One group of people faces a different kind of weight management issue and it's ongoing in nature. For frail elderly with memory impairment, preventing weight loss, not gain, is key.

"What we see is that memory-impaired seniors may forget to eat or they may not be able to sit still long enough to eat a full meal," said Anne Ellett, senior vice president of health services for Silverado Senior Living, which operates 17 memory-care communities in California, Texas, Utah, and Arizona.

"They may not like the food they are being offered and are not able to express that clearly. They could be having trouble swallowing. Depression, potentially undiagnosed and untreated, could also be the reason they start losing weight."

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.

Because maintaining proper weight is so important, Silverado has designed numerous methods for encouraging its residents to eat. Meals are tailored to individual preferences and food is easily available outside of scheduled dining times. The communities include country kitchens stocked with sandwiches, cookies, and cake that residents may munch on at any time. Residents are also offered foods that are easy to eat while walking, such as fruit, pieces of cheese, and small containers
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