As we grow older, the body tends to succumb to the test of times. Physically, age is evident as the skin begins to sag, the wrinkles become vivid and the bones turn brittle and weak.

Most old people suffer not only physical transformation but also emotional and intellectual changes. Forgetting, paranoia and loneliness are just a few things which complicate the ageing process.

If you have parents or relatives that are facing the challenges of old age, here are some things you should expect and do in order to get through them:

• Loss of teeth – this problem could be dealt with properly through the right foods to prepare. The absence of teeth would require you to cook a different menu for your ageing parents. You can chop, blend, grate or grind fruits which are hard to chew. You can also mash or train vegetables.

• Ill-fitting dentures – dentures tend to loosen up because the gums shrink as time goes by. Try to seek for the help of a dental technician or dentists to check the fitting from time to time because ill-fitted dentures could cause bleeding and swollen gums.

• Lack of appetite – be creative when serving the food. Entice their taste buds using foods of different colors, textures and smell. Stimulation of the appetite could also be enhanced through a walk before the meal

• Loneliness – invite other family members to come over the house especially during meal time. Have your ageing parents join a club intended for their age or get into a hobby they could perform when spending their leisure. You can also provide entertainment like their radio and television with tapes and CDs of classic music and movies.

• Constipation – Ask aged parents to drink water more often and get into the habit of eating fruits and vegetables. Not only these are easier to chew but they are also easier to digest.

• Disease States – this could involve high blood pressure and diabetes. Proper intervention would involve avoidance of high-fat, high calorie and high sugar foods. Indulge more into nutrient-dense diets like milk, poultry meat and fish. Cook foods through boiling, steaming and stewing.

• Sleep deprivation – Difficulty in sleeping could be experienced by most aged parents. Usually, giving a warm glass of milk before bed time and refraining from drinking tea and coffee during the day could promote a restful sleep.

All these and more are challenges which ageing entails. Children of ageing parents should always seek for ways to provide the comfort of their parents who could no longer act normally because of physical, mental, emotional and psychological changes. As parents grow old, our time has come to compensate the things they did for us to become the person that we are today.

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