Not sure Mom's eating right? Take her grocery shopping.

05-15-09 RODALE NEWS, EMMAUS, PA—That sappy greeting-card commercial, in which an 8-year-old boy cheers up his older neighbor with a card “just because,” may be on to something. A new study published in the Journal of Clinical Nursing finds that depression among older adults, particularly women, is a leading factor in malnourishment.

THE DETAILS: Swedish researchers followed 482 75- and 80-year-old adults, all of whom were living at home, for five years. Using a combination of interviews and physical tests, the authors assessed the seniors for their nutrition levels, actual physical health, perceived physical health, and symptoms of depression. After four follow-up visits, the researchers found that a total of 14.5 percent of the adults were considered “at-risk” for malnutrition, with more women (18.8 percent) than men (10.6 percent) falling into that group. Those people were less likely to visit a doctor, had lower self-perceived health, and showed more symptoms of depression than those who had better nutrition levels. Age also played a role: The 80-year-old group had more at-risk adults than the younger group. Women, they found, exhibited more signs of depression than men did, and a higher percentage of at-risk women in this study lived alone than their similarly at-risk male counterparts.

WHAT IT MEANS: Some people may assume that depression is just a natural part of aging, but it isn’t. And letting your parents or grandparents succumb to depression can leave them vulnerable to poor nutrition as well.

Here are a few ways to keep the older adults in your life healthy, emotionally and physically:

• Know when they’re down. It’s difficult to monitor the emotional health of older adults when you don’t see them or speak to them every day, and signs of depression, such as fatigue, in older adults may be easy to confuse with the consequences of getting older. According to the American Association of Geriatric Psychiatrists, key signs specific to this population include the inability to sleep, memory problems, confusion, withdrawal from social situations, and irritability. A visit to the doctor can help assess the cause of these symptoms.

• Keep them company. Depression may need to be treated professionally, but a good start is getting someone out and about, encouraging them to get involved in volunteer work and group outings, or just spending time with them. Staying involved in your elders’ lives also makes it easier to spot depression or other problems.

• Know what they eat. In addition to recognizing depression, know the signs of malnutrition, such as eating fewer than two meals a day and not eating many fruits and vegetables, says Ruth Frechman, RD, spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. “Older people don’t always realize they need to keep eating healthy,” she adds. If you can’t see what they eat all the time, “take them shopping once a week,” she says. The extra time together will boost their spirits, too. Or, if need be, peruse their cabinets when you visit to make sure they have healthy food on hand, she advises.

• Cook lots of meals for them. “People who are depressed often don’t feel like cooking,” says Frechman. That may cause them to eat less or to go out to eat, where they’ll likely ingest more sodium than is healthy. Frechman recommends that depressed adults, who may be suffering from a loss of appetite, eat five small meals a day to keep their strength up.

• Boost their nutrients. “One of the main concerns in older adults is lack of calcium,” says Frechman. Adults over 50 should be getting 1,200 milligrams per day, she says, and research has shown that many postmenopausal women only get half that amount. Consider a consultation with a registered dietitian to assess your elder’s nutritional needs.