As you already know Alzheimer’s patients require more attention and special care even when performing normal daily activities. Here are a few things to think about when helping an Alzheimer’s patient with meal preparation.
Alzheimer’s patients often cannot grasp the idea of proper nutrition. It is up to the caregiver to make sure that they have an adequate caloric intake and are eating properly prepared meals such as properly cooked chicken or pork.
Everyone is different and may require a doctor recommended low cholesterol diet, have certain allergies, or might be diabetic which may limit the types of foods that can be consumed. Often elderly people and especially Alzheimer’s and dementia patients will under consume food because they will lose track of time or are unaware of their poor diet. A proper caloric intake is very important to maintain a healthy weight.
Personally I have my great grandfather on a regular meal schedule where I prepare most of his meals to ensure proper portions and nutritional balance. Breakfast in the morning, a snack at Noon usually an Ensure Shake, dinner between 5 and 7, and I keep several candy bars within arm’s reach for whenever he gets hungry. Before I started caring for him he weighed 128 lbs now I have him back to a consistent and healthy 160 lbs.
By providing meals on a regular schedule I keep him in a routine which keeps things pretty normal. If for some reason he doesn’t want to eat a meal I will not force feed him and always show him the respect of an elder although I will try to put a little more food on his next plate.
If you are preparing meat or anything that requires cutting with a sharp knife it is almost always a good idea to pre cut the food into smaller pieces before serving. This will keep the obvious dangers of the knife out of the patient’s hands but will also encourage them to eat more.
