Elder Care Tips on Cooking With Seniors

Uncategorized  |  April 29, 2022

There are a number of obstacles that many adults providing elder care to their aging loved ones tend to face on a daily basis. While it may seem like a rather simple task, the topic of cooking if often a point of contention between aging seniors and their elder care providers. As a caregiver, it is important that you pay close attention to your loved one when the topic of cooking arises and are working to help keep them safe from potential cooking hazards.

Although many aging seniors want to continue to cook their meals as normal, many times those receiving elder care are simply not able to cook safely in the way they once did. Issues with deteriorating motor skills, dementia or even arthritis can all impact an older adult’s ability to safely handle kitchen and cooking equipment.

With this in mind, if your loved one does want to cook, you need to carefully monitor their actions. Offer to take items out of the oven for them, chop or cut vegetables or handle some of the more physically demanding parts of cooking on their behalf. This can help prevent unnecessary actions from happening.

As an elder care provider, it is also important that you are monitoring what items your loved one is cooking. Certain foods or types of diets may interfere with your loved one’s medications. If your loved one is suffering from dementia or memory loss, they may accidentally forget important foods in their meals, or mix the wrong ingredients together in a dish. Providing an extra set of eyes is always helpful if your loved one insists on cooking.

Finally, make sure to look for physical issues that could be potential hazards for your loved one while they are working in the kitchen. Water spills, clutter, trash cans and even rugs on the floor can all potentially cause your loved one to trip while in the kitchen. Look out for these hazards. Don’t let your loved one bend down to lift heavy items from a stove or low freezer on their own and make sure they are aware of hot surfaces when they cook. Extra precautions like this may put more responsibilities on you as an elder care provider but they can go a long way in protecting your loved one while they cook.

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