EP82: Alzheimer's Disease Care: 3 Tips for Eating and Drinking at Home

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Alzheimer's Disease Care: 3 Tips for Eating and Drinking at Home</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I went home to help my 70-year old mother take care of my 91-year old grandmother, who'd been in a nursing home for a year and a half during COVID. Grandma Trudie was extremely debilitated, and in this episode, I share. When your loved one is as weak as my grandmother was, you may need to make some adjustments that allow her to continue to feed herself. This video is part of a 3-part series on Alzheimer's Care and the other videos can be found where you found this one.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">✔️</span> <strong><em>Tip 1: Drinking with Closed Handle Cup</em></strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">My mom purchased an insulated cup that probably didn't weigh more than like a pound and a half - at the most - but it was too heavy for my grandmother to pick up by herself. Tip number one is to think about getting a cup with a closed handle. If the cup has two handles, one on each side, it will be easier for the person to hold the cup with two hands.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">✔️</span> <strong><em>Tip 2: Mechanical Soft Diet</em></strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;"> For patients who usually don't have teeth, creating a mechanical soft diet is very important. Foods mechanically are foods altered by blending, grinding, chopping, or mashing the foods so that they are easier to chew and swallow.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">✔️</span> <strong><em>Tip 3: Using an Apron</em></strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">My grandmother, even though she can feed herself, sometimes spills her food when eating.  Instead of putting a traditional bib on her, my Mom had the idea to use an apron. This is a really unique thing caregivers can do pretty easily to maintain someone's dignity and to be respectful of them. The apron  allows them to eat on their own, and still look cute and fashionable. </span></p> <p><