2 Ways To Help Your Arthritic Parent Eat Healthier

If your mom suffers from arthritis and is beginning to have trouble completing normal daily tasks, such as eating, you may want to take some steps to help her keep her independence. Here are two things you could do to help her have the ability to eat and drink on her own.

Purchase the right equipment

The first thing you will need to do is look into eating and drinking aids. These are products designed for people with physical handicaps, and they are often used by elderly people or people suffering from mobility issues. Here are some of the items you will need to purchase to make eating easier for her:

  • Jar opener – Opening jars can be one of the most difficult tasks for a person with arthritis, but there are options. You could purchase an automatic jar opener, which will work for most jars, or you could purchase grip pads that also work well for manually opening jars.
  • Utensils – You can purchase utensils that are curved or those that have bigger handles to grip. Any of these options may help your mom eat easier, whether she is using a fork or spoon for the food.
  • Drinking aids – There are also a variety of different types of cups you can purchase for people with difficulties using their hands. Some of these have handles on both sides, while others have lids, which allow people to drink without spilling.

If your mom likes to cook, you may also want to provide her with a variety of different cooking utensils that will make this job easier.

Supply her with meals

The second thing you could do to help her keep her independence is giving her meals. Even if she enjoys cooking, providing meals for her will help her stay healthy and make her tasks more stress-free each day.

When you give her meals, keep these tips in mind:

  • Make sure they are easy to open – Arthritis leaves a person with weak hands that may not function well, which can make it difficult to open food storage containers. To alleviate this problem, forget the lids and cover the containers with plastic wrap instead.
  • Choose meals that are easy to heat up – Instead of making her heat the meals in her oven, make them microwavable. Place the meals in individual microwavable containers and let her heat them up when she gets hungry.
  • Select nutritious meals – A lot of elderly people have trouble staying healthy and this is often because they do not eat right. Choose vegetables and lean meats, and avoid processed foods or foods that are high in fat.

With the right tools and utensils and with some help, your mom may be able to obtain the right nutrition each day. If you would like to order tools to help her with this, contact YOUCAN TOOCAN, Inc. or a similar company.


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