Contents
A disabled or elderly person requires the constant care of relatives. When there is hand paresis, trembling, movement limitations or poor eyesight, performing the simplest activities becomes a problem. Even eating a meal is difficult without the help of loved ones. But helping is not the same as helping. You should always strive to ensure that the elderly or the sick person perform as many activities as possible (of course within their capabilities). This not only improves her motor skills, but also reduces the sense of dependence. Often it is enough to introduce a few simple procedures or facilitations for the elderly person to eat independently.
Properly selected dishes
In people with trembling, not fully functional hands, traditional porcelain or glass dishes must be replaced with light, unbreakable plastic dishes. Additionally, specialized utensils make eating easier. A drawer plate with a raised edge makes it easy to pick up food, and the wide edge of the plate allows you to easily carry it. Instead of a plate with a raised rim, you can use a normal plate, edge plastic caps or inner caps which also make eating easier. Food consumption by the elderly is slow. Normal dishes will have time to cool before the food is finished. Therefore, it is worth considering a plate that, thanks to a special chamber located under the plate, keeps the heat longer. Likewise, you can make drinking easier by replacing traditional cups with light cups with an overlay with a spout that prevents liquids from spilling out. Cups with interchangeable caps with different hole diameters can be used for drinking beverages as well as mashed soups.
Non-slip mat
Putting a nice cloth napkin under a plate usually ends with washing it after each meal. The use of an oilcloth pad makes the plates move while eating. The ideal solution is therefore a non-slip mother. It not only ensures that the plate is stable, but is also easy to keep clean.
Contrasting color of the dishes
Can you imagine how difficult it is for a visually impaired person to eat milk soup from a white plate placed on a white counter? Therefore, dishes for the elderly should be in bright, well-contrasting colors. It has also been noticed that people with Alzheimer’s eat more and more willingly if the food is red in color. It is difficult to invent red dishes every day, but it is worth paying attention to the red plates.
Properly adapted cutlery
The biggest problem with eating among the elderly is the maintenance of cutlery. Hand paresis, arthrosis, Parkinson’s disease make the cutlery slip from weakened hands and make eating very tiring. This can be changed by choosing the right cutlery. The most important element is the right handle. It must be widened and made of a material that prevents it from slipping. The sale includes specialized cutlery with matching handles, as well as the covers for traditional cutlery made of light foam. Special cutlery holders fastened with Velcro will additionally help keep them in your hands, even for people who have no hands. For people with limited wrist mobility, ergonomic cutlery with a tipped tip is recommended (different for right-handed people and other for left-handed people).
Cleanliness materials
Even healthy and fit people sometimes get their chin, hands or even clothes dirty while eating. Therefore, the elderly should wear a bib before eating. A special bib for adults will protect your clothes from getting dirty. For people who sit at the table on their own, it is worth using extended bibs that protect not only the chest, but also the abdomen and thighs. Disposable bibs are comfortable to use and very hygienic. It is also worth having wet wipes or tissues on hand.
Meals properly prepared
We must make it as easy as possible for an elderly person to eat meals, so the dishes should be properly prepared. First of all, it is forbidden to serve hot dishes to an elderly person, so as not to expose them to burns. Solid food before serving should be cut into pieces into one bite, which will facilitate eating. If the meal is a soup traditionally served on a plate, it should be thick, then scooping with a spoon will not be a problem. On the other hand, soups that can be drunk from a cup or a special bouillon must be relatively rare.
Stolik-thank you
Often the condition of an elderly person forces them to eat meals in bed. In this case, it is better to give up the usual tray. A suitable table-tray not only ensures stability, but also ensures that the dishes are placed at the right height, and the edges of the table prevent the dishes from falling. At the same time, it is so large that everything that the patient needs can be placed on it.
A seat at the table
Nothing brings a family together like dining together. If the patient’s condition allows it, we should provide him with a comfortable place at the table. Remember that the chair must have comfortable backrests on three sides. Elderly people also often need an additional elevation in the seat of the chair to maintain the correct distance from the table top. If the elderly person uses a wheelchair, the height of the table and the distance between its legs must be such as to allow easy access by the wheelchair.