Your elderly family member might still want to cook, but find it difficult to do so easily. Thankfully there are some things you can do to help her to keep cooking for as long as she wants.
Make the Kitchen More User-friendly
The more user-friendly your senior’s kitchen is, the easier it will be for her to continue to cook. This might mean rearranging a few items, particularly if some of the items she used to use a lot are now used a lot less often. Work with her to find an arrangement of cooking implements that feels right. And speaking of implements, there are a lot of options available that can make it easier for your senior to use her kitchen and the appliances in it. She might want to start using knob turners, for instance, or automatic shutoff devices that help ensure the stove isn’t left on.
Take a Closer Look at Her Cookware
Something else to consider in depth is your senior’s cookware. Pots and pans that served her well when she had better grip strength are one thing, but they may make cooking more difficult for her now. Lighter cookware that has extra handles is the way to go. Look for pots and pans made out of aluminum or other lightweight materials.
Work Together on a Meal Plan
If you and your elderly family member work together on a meal plan you can help her to be as prepared as possible for her cooking adventures. It might help if you do the shopping as well, so that she’s got everything on hand that she needs in order to cook the meals she wants to eat that week. This is especially helpful if your senior is having to adopt her cooking methods to healthier versions or if she’s cooking with ingredients that are new to her.
Consider How Home Care Can Help
Home care providers can also make a big difference for your senior when it comes to helping her continue to cook. They can tackle the parts of cooking that she doesn’t like or that are difficult for her, like chopping vegetables or cleaning up afterward. That way your senior does the part she enjoys and gets the benefits, too.
Anything that your senior loves to do is worth encouraging her to remain active in, especially if that means she’ll get nutrients while she’s at it. Consider cooking with your senior and see if she’ll finally share that one secret family recipe with you.
When you are in need of care for a senior loved one, consider caregivers provided by Golden Heart Senior Care. We have offices nationwide. For more information, call us today at (800) 601-2792.
