Although persons living dementia may have challenges with eating, such as chewing, ability to taste or smell food, or remembering how to eat, the dining experience can have a tremendous effect on their socialization, how much they eat and if the time they spend eating is enjoyable or frustrating. Improving the dining experience is certainly possible, whether in a community-based setting, a hospital in the home or even in a restaurant.
Top Ten Tips for Improving the Dining Experience for Persons with Dementia
Topics: AGE-u-cate Training Institute, Senior Care Professionals, Family Caregiver, dementia, Dementia Live, leadership, Hospital Professionals, Mealtime, Eating, Dining
Have you Heard of Dementia Friendly Purple Table Reservations?
I just learned about the Purple Table Reservations program and was beyond excited to learn and share with my readers.
Topics: AGE-u-cate Training Institute, The Family Caregiver, Senior Care Professionals, Dementia Live, dementia friendly, Dementia Friendly America, Purple Table Reservations, Dining
Please Don't Forget the Hot Fudge Sundae... and other Dining Tips
As my mother's Parkinson's Disease progressed, it was very apparent that food and the mealtime experience became more important to her. So much so, that I remember saying "Mom's still finds joy in yummy food". That said, her "yummy" was not always the healthiest, but we wanted her to be happy. We knew that healthy foods were important, but probably not as important as the joy of witnessing her with excitement dig in to a chocolate fudge sundae with extra whipped cream. Now THAT was a quality dining experience!
Topics: Senior Care Professionals, Family Caregiver, Senior Care, leadership, activities, Mealtime, Eating, Dining, older adults, Joy