July 31, 2021
If so, you may already have noticed they have trouble eating. If your elderly loved one is in the earlier stages of this disease, this may not have happened yet. However, it will happen in the later stages of the disease. Regardless, it is important for you and senior care providers to implement these senior care tips for feeding if your elderly loved one has Parkinson’s disease.
One of the best feeding tips for someone who has Parkinson’s disease is to have them use adaptive utensils. People who have this disease will experience difficulties with fine motor movements. Near the end of this disease, all control of fine motor movements will be gone. This means that your elderly loved one won’t be able to grip a fork properly. However, there are adaptive utensils that you and senior care providers can have your elderly loved one use. For example, there are utensils with straps on them. These types of utensils will eliminate the amount of time your elderly loved drop their spoons and forks.
If your elderly loved one has Parkinson’s disease, their muscles are going to be weaker. This means they won’t be able to sit up straight which can lead to additional pain and tension in their body. In order to help with this issue, you or senior care providers can have your elderly loved one use posture cushions. These are cushions that add support, so your elderly loved one can sit up straighter.
It is also important that you and senior care providers plan for enough time when your elderly loved one is eating. The more rushed your elderly loved one is when eating, the more likely they will be to choke, drop their utensils, and have other eating difficulties. There is not an exact amount of time that everyone with Parkinson’s disease will need to eat. You and senior care providers will need to figure out how long your elderly loved one needs to eat comfortably, Then, you can set up that amount of time for them to eat all their meals.
These are some of the best tips for feeding your elderly loved one if they have Parkinson’s disease. Even if your elderly loved one is in the earlier stages of this disease, they may still experience some difficulties eating. Hopefully, these senior care tips will help to reduce eating-related issues and help them to eat more comfortably, as well.
If you or an aging loved-one are considering hiring Home Care Services in Squirrel Hill, PA, please contact the caring staff at In-Home Quality Care today. Serving the Greater Pittsburgh Area since 1990! Call 412-421-5202
Sources
https://www.nutrition.va.gov/docs/UpdatedPatientEd/Parkinsons.pdf
