Many healthy aging adults aged 50 to 80 enjoy cooking, and most are confident with preparing meals using basic ingredients. Cooking in the kitchen also offers seniors a wealth of benefits, from emotional to physical. Assistive technology ensures that the elderly remain safe when working in the kitchen.
According to the National Poll on Healthy Aging conducted at the University of Michigan, 47 percent of respondents cook at home 6 to 7 days a week; 42 percent cook at home 3 to 5 days per week; and, 11 percent prepare homecooked meals 0 to 2 days a week.
How does cooking in a home kitchen benefit seniors?
Cooking at home is a key strategy to eating healthily. Homecooked foods are prepared with less carbohydrates, fats, and sugars. Seniors who cook at home also have more control over portion sizes. Losing weight or following a special diet are easier when meals are prepared at home.
In addition to the aforementioned physical benefits, cooking at home is important to psychological well-being. Sharing the kitchen with family members or a significant other is a joyful experience during which conversations are initiated, laughs are enjoyed, and happy memories are made.
Why do some seniors need assistive technology?
While the benefits of cooking meals are evident, keeping elderly loved ones safe in a home kitchen requires planning and helpful gadgets. The aging process and mounting health conditions make it more difficult for seniors to use the kitchen with ease, as they once did.
Arthritis of the hands weakens grip strength, making opening cans a challenge. Frailty, stroke, and dementia are common conditions that affect the elderly and create obstacles in the kitchen. Additionally, working with intense heat, sharp knives, and boiling liquids can be dangerous for seniors.
Kitchen aids, like the ones that follow, increase senior safety in the kitchen. Many of these assistive technologies help prevent accidents. As a result of using these tools, older individuals are more independent in the kitchen, and worried families enjoy greater peace of mind.
- Electric Kettle
Seniors who savor a morning coffee should have an easy-pour electric kettle. The large kettle is easy to see for seniors with poor vision. Burns from scalding liquid are unlikely, as a tipper supports the kettle. Plus, the tipper eliminates the need to lift the kettle and pour.
- Safety Cutting Board
Cutting accidents are likely when the cutting board inadvertently slides during use. Seniors prevent cuts by utilizing a safety cutting board designed to cut a range of foods, from small tomatoes to large loaves of bread. Lightweight and easy to clean, safety cutting boards should be in every senior’s kitchen.
- Vegetable Chopper
Slicing onions will still unleash tears, but a vegetable chopper specially designed to chop onions will take the safety risks out of the task. Seniors can use the chopper to prepare vegetables faster, more easily and with greater safety. Such a tool is invaluable for elderly individuals with physical impairments.
- Pot and Pan Holder
Boiling liquids can lead to severe scalding, especially when the pot is knocked over. Prevent spills and subsequent burn injuries with a pot and pan holder that stays in place, despite stirring or turning. A well-formed steel frame constructed with suction cups secures the tool to the stovetop surface.
- Grip Tool
A range of favorite foods come in jars, but seniors’ decreased grip strength can make opening them an unnecessary struggle. Featuring slip-resistance properties and textured rubber jaws, a grip tool enables seniors to easily open containers, even for those with mobility restricted to one hand.
- Kitchen Stool
Seniors who are exhausted after working at the counter can rest on a kitchen stool. Built with an angled seat, the kitchen stool facilitates easy standing and sitting. Rubber feet secure the kitchen stool to the floor. Short and tall individuals can adjust the seat height for the perfect fit.
- Hand Vegetable Peeler
Peeling vegetables using a standard vegetable peeler can lead to nicks. However, seniors who utilize a specially designed vegetable peeler with the blade tucked securely inside will not experience cuts. Older adults with arthritis or joint issues will find a palm peeler vegetable peeler safer to use.
- Cut Resistant Gloves
Manipulating sharp knives can lead to disastrous cuts. Safely cutting meats and vegetables is made safer by cut resistant gloves. Seniors with shaky hands prevent injury when donning these slim gloves. These gloves offer additional convenience, as they come in a range of sizes, from small to extra-large.
- One-Handed Bottle Brush
For seniors who have mobility in only one hand, cleaning up in the kitchen is made easier with the one-handed bottle brush. Suction cups along the base of this tool adhere to the sink. The bottle brush scrubs kitchenware, like glasses, plates, and bowls. The tool promotes sanitary dishwashing.
Seniors who perform everyday tasks, like cooking, with some level of independence feel greater self-esteem. Give the senior in your life a boost by providing him or her with assistive technology for the kitchen. Elder care from Assisting Hands Home Care is a further way to protect the senior.
Professional caregivers from our reputable home care agency are trained to support elder care recipients with the activities of daily living. Our core responsibilities include help with personal hygiene, transportation, grocery shopping, light household chores, medication reminders, and fall prevention.
When an individual is no longer able to cook independently or safely, our caregivers will prepare nutritious meals that are in accordance with the senior’s dietary restrictions. Seniors who can manage some aspects of cooking also receive reliable support in the kitchen from our helpful caregivers.
Whether your elderly loved one would benefit from respite care, hospice care or dementia care, Assisting Hands Home Care meets all nonmedical care needs. With bonded and licensed caregivers, families have peace of mind. Call our Fort Worth, Texas, senior care agency to start quality home care.
