If there is one thing that connects us all, it’s food! Think about how many precious memories have been made over the years that incorporated food at the center of them all: wedding celebrations, holiday meals, birthday parties. Even average days include routines that become ingrained in us around food, from that first aromatic cup of coffee in the morning to a shared bowl full of buttery popcorn with family while watching a movie. These sense memories may be accessible to individuals with Alzheimer’s with the help of dementia engagement activities using food.
It is no surprise that food is not merely a necessity for our physical health, but often a highly effective way to connect with someone with Alzheimer’s. Independence-4-Seniors Home Care, a leading provider of dementia care in Lombard and the surrounding communities, recommends some activities you can try to help spark memories while appealing to all of the senses through food.
- Preparing. Choose a straightforward recipe to prepare, for example, sandwiches or fruit salad. Assemble the ingredients and incorporate them into your conversation. While washing and cutting up fruit, for example, ask the senior what kinds of fruits they enjoyed as a young child.
- Storytelling. Take out a vintage cookbook and look through the recipes together to determine if any spark memories. The senior loved one may remember food rationing during wartime, or the time they tried a brand new recipe early in their marriage which was a complete disaster. If a particular recipe is of interest, make it together!
- Decorating. Frost cupcakes while reminiscing about the goodies Mom would prepare for school birthday parties. Roll out cookie dough, and use cookie cutters and sprinkles to make them specific to an upcoming holiday as you discuss holidays past.
Think about how to incorporate each of the senses into mealtimes. There’s much more to food than taste! Point out the appetizing scent of the meat you are roasting for dinner, the sizzling sound of bacon frying, the cool smoothness of bread dough being kneaded. Try to make each plate served appetizing to the eyes as well as the palate. And as much as possible, foster conversations that link the senior to past memories.
In many cases, a senior with dementia will encounter a diminished appetite and lose interest in food. Dementia engagement activities such as these can be a terrific way to revive the joy we experience together through shared meals and treats.
Our dementia caregivers have many more strategies to make life the very best it can be for someone with dementia. Get in contact with Indepenence-4-Seniors Home Care any time either online or at (630) 323-4665 to request Alzheimer’s care resources or to find out about our personalized dementia care in Lombard and the surrounding areas.