The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

“The findings are very clear." says Kevin (then. Home lnflead franchisee f0: Richmond Hill. Thomhill and Markham. “Them is a real link between companionship and healthy eating Functionally. we all need company.” But those same say thal‘ several fannrs gm in the way of mealtin companâ€" innship: not being able to drive (2'! per cent). Chen points to msearth conducted by Home Instead â€"~- 3 provider of non-medi- cal can: services for seniors that shnws a majority of Canadian seniors (88 per cent) believes having someone to share meals with makes lhmé limes mmfitisfydng. ' “She eats poorty, docsn't cook pmpcfly. she gets disoriented in the kitchen and she eats occasional leftovers but only when she feels like it." Ms Senecase saw The 82-year-old is on “seven 0r eight" medications andst that when she does eat. it makes her feel sick ~â€" so she doesn't eat. “It’s a'vtcious cutie,” Ms Settecase sayx With her ,ltalian background. big family meals were the norm. “mats what mothers do. they cook for the family.” her daugtter-tn- lawsays 'Wsenseofpum'tsnotthete anymoresosheletsherselfgx Shehasnoone to cook for and she cant be bothered. She knows her mmherixtlaw would be better off with a live~in compankm or living with 1'9th but bmach'ing the topic can be dilficuh. ’WE ALL NEED com The San-cases are not alone in their wor- n'cs. Aging baby Boomers are discovering that their elderly parents are craving cum- panionship. whir‘h is why Home Instead has launched a campaign and recipe contest to raise anenti'nn to the issue. Her mother-inhw. on the other hand. is notdomgaswell.Awidmvwholiwsmdm east end of Toronto. she usually eats alone. “When she's with us she eats a lot better. The colour in her face is rwived." as are he: spirits. she says. “You have mhandle it delicately Mame lhev can he amended." ‘ The Senecascscan't visit her as (men and when they do. they am disappointed by what theysee.Sometimestheyarrivetofindfood sitting on the counter “for who knows how tong”, the eidefly woman's skin pallid and he! spirits low. Andthey may not beaming the mealtin umpanbnshlp they need. either. While Ms Senecase's parents are eldefly. meycatweflandarehealmy. loadingupon produce from her father’s averflovfing garden. her mother still cooking up a storm in the kitchen and sending us home with a bagfuloffood'. Nmaybebecausc for frequent fatnin visits and have each other to ensuregood food is on the table. WELLNESS: Cnmpani'onshififfi’édlthy eating go hand in hand, study says Chances are. ifyour patents are eldefly and eating ak'me. they are not getting the nutrition they med. '. ' That’s accorfling to new research conduu - ed fat the Home instead SenbrCare network Faring alnm and poor nnm‘tinn gn hand-in-hand in fox seniom It's dmnenjnw. Do you know where your parents me? More imponandy. do you know what they’re eating? Rom Settecase. of Maple. has seen that NUtrition challenge for lonely seniors kzarmurfiyrmgmm BY KIM ZARIDUI “The body gets into a rhythm: intake. digestion and dismsal.” Meals on Wheels is one of several survives prmn'dcd by (Ill/US to help swims cal mum'- tiously. lksigned by dietitians. the delivered entrees provide 65 pet cent of daily pmtein muimmems; the nutrient plays a key role in ‘ “Now my grandma inst chucks dawn his food and that's it.” Body and soul both benefit when it's done right. he says. which is why he and his wife order monthly from Meals on Wheels and adhere to strict sit-down mealtimm "Well. of course that was all mmvm out the windmv.’ says the t5~ycar~o|d mtimd ioumal- kt. “'Ihey didn't realm the value of sitting down for meals. You can’l become hermitx" As a child. he and his five siblings were required 103i! M the table until everyone was finished eating -â€" something he believes was good for digestion and ctmvemtion. Cami Edward, director of community pro- grams with York Region's Community 8: Home , Assistance to Seniors (CHRIS). wees. It's what’s pmmpted Home Instead to develop a public education pmgam called Craving Companionship 30 re ‘ve family mealtime. Mr. (been and the Home Instead Senior (amoflicein‘momhillisencomagingfamfly cmrgivemtofindafavwrhfamflydfltpre- paremdshamamealwimflwwniorkwed onealmdenterdicrecipcâ€"alongwithastory abmtmlmakesthedishaospeciahodleir famflyâ€"thIbrmnmdemriesRedpe Contest. The idea is not just to help seniors plan and prepare nutritious meals. but to let them relive family memories with home-cooked meals. says Mr. Chen. No need to convince llamld Fuller of the value of family mealtime. The msldenl at Parkvk‘w seniors residence in Stouffvillc laughs remembering how futur. ists. wars ago. predicted that one day society would turn to a single pill that would encap- sulate all nutritional needs and do away with the wastedxacmrity of preparing and consum- ing food. Selected recipes and Stodes will be posted onhneaswellasmaoookbookwmdmwillbe sold to raise money for the non-profit Home InStead Senior Care Foundation. "Senions who eat alone often have an underlying isolation and dcpxesshn and lack of social engagement. This leads to low qual- ity of life and a mom rapid decline as they “Social isolation is the number one thing that will expedite deterioration in seniors." she saw. Today’s eidedy generation is not accus- tomed Lo frozen convenience meals. she says. lt‘sespedallydimcxm fotseniorsfromethnic gmups used to creating large meals for big families with fresh fruits and vegetables that may have been abundant and inexpensive in their homeland. This can lead [0 poor eating habits. nutfi- tional deficiendes. dehydration. problems withbalanceand nskoffdkshe Carol Gmenwood. a nutritionist. senior scientist at Bame and pmiessor at the Uni- versity of 'Ibmnm. says the social aspe'ct of eating is even more important than good nutrition. family and friends don't have enough time‘(22 per cent) or living too far away (17 per cent). ‘MOIE RAPID DECUNE‘ CHAIS also operates a "mngmgate dining program” topmvideasocial mealnme‘ _ ,1 enoe for senims In residelices or communin centres. Lorm Fuller and her husband, Harold, cat a nutritioust al the Parkview Village senio rs residcnoc in Stoufl‘villc. For information on CHA’I‘S visit chatsonca or call L877~452 Forms on Wmeanmeana tn learn more about me cm Conmnshp (mm wnIe'SL vmt http , 1m 5YAH PHOVDINKK MANVSHYN