Let’s take some of the stress out of eating with Alzheimer’s loved ones at home. #AlzDesign chat
Eating is one of the activities of daily life (ADL) that health professionals talk about. There are five others: bathing, dressing, toileting, walking, and continence.
Those basic activities aren’t usually thought about too much about after we’ve exited the toddler stage of life. For the 3.9 million families caregiving a loved one with Alzheimer’s at home, they are everyday all-day-long challenges.
Why is eating and mealtime tough for someone with Alzheimer’s?
Alzheimer’s affects the way the brain processes information. Even if your loved one has lived in a home for decades, it can still be difficult to find the glasses and plates in the kitchen, know when to eat, make decisions about what to eat first, and even if the food is placed in front of your loved one, it might not even visually register.
Yes, these are daily frustrations for both the caregiver and the loved one with Alzheimer’s. And no matter how many times any of these difficulties are discussed, there may never be any change in behavior. When you have Alzheimer’s, your brain isn’t able to learn the way it could before Alzheimer’s.
So as caregivers and design/remodeling professionals, we need to make the changes to give our loved one the dignity of aging and enjoy those last years together. Alzheimer’s is still the 6th leading cause of deaths in the United States, and while there’s tons of talk about finding a cure, there isn’t one just yet.
Join our #AlzDesign Twitter chat on Tuesday, February 2nd at 1pmET when we’ll be showing and sharing easy ways you can use color, table setting, and decor to relieve some of the stress.
And for those who are interested in updating a kitchen for an Alzheimer’s loved one, we’ll be showing ways to make a kitchen easier to navigate for Alzheimer’s and for everyone else in the family, too.
Share your questions below, send us a note, or join the live chat on Tuesdays at 1pmET.
Be sure to RSVP to this chat!
