May is National Barbecue Month and it’s a great time to think about how to make your upcoming summer barbecues more friendly and accessible for your senior parent. Getting together to enjoy some warm weather and great food is a lot of fun. But if you have a senior parent coming over there are some things that you should do to make sure that your senior parent can comfortably join in the fun and enjoy all the great food like:
Get Senior-Friendly Seating
Outdoor seating at picnic tables can be difficult for seniors who may have trouble lifting their legs over a picnic table seat or getting up from a picnic table situation. When you are planning your outdoor celebrations and meals make sure that there is some senior friendly seating. Outdoor couches and easy chairs with side tables are fantastic for seniors. But regular dining tables with sturdy low chairs are a good option also. Bar stools or tall chairs are not a good choice for senior friendly seating. If you’re not sure whether or not your senior can comfortably sit in the furniture that you have ask their senior home care provider what kind of chairs would be best for your senior parent.
Get Senior Friendly Glasses And Flatware
Senior Home Care in Largo FL
The plastic cutlery that most people use for barbecues and get togethers may be too difficult for your senior loved one to use. And plastic glasses without handles can be slippery and hard to hold. Invest in some senior friendly plastic glasses that have large handles and straw openings at the top so that your senior parent will be able to easily drink unassisted. You can put out some regular flatware as well as the plastic kind or buy heavier plastic flatware that your senior loved one will be able to easily use.
Make Sure There Is Shade
The sun can be very harmful for seniors. Even if the day is overcast seniors can get sunburn or get overheated, especially if they are sitting outside for a long time. Make sure that there is some shade available like a large sun umbrella, a comfortable chair under a shady tree, or an area covered by a pergola where your senior loved one can get out of the sun. A senior home care provider can make sure that your senior loved one is dressed appropriately for the weather in light layers and a hat but you may need to remind your senior parent to put on more sunscreen.
Think Carefully About The Menu
Summer barbecues are all about great food. But when you’re planning the menu make sure that it includes some finger foods and foods that your senior loved one can easily eat. If you’re serving barbecued meat consider making it a “pulled” or shredded meat like pulled pork or pulled chicken so hat your senior loved one will be able to easily eat it with a fork or on a sandwich. Avoid hard to eat foods like corn on the cob.
If You Or An Aging Loved One Are Considering Hiring Senior Home Care in Largo, FL, Please Contact The Caring Staff At Assisting Hands Home Care Today! 727-748-4211.
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Becky Moultrie is Owner and Administrator of Assisting Hands Home Care Serving Pinellas. Guided by a motto to Do Good with Love, she’s well positioned to do just that at Assisting Hands. She has a passion for helping families keep seniors and those who are diabled happy and healthy at home. She serves on a number of boards in Pinellas County including the Pinellas Park Gateway Chamber and Better Living Seniors (BLS), leading the Membership Committee. Annually, she hosts a Silver Santa Party, collecting donations for nearly 100 low income seniors in the county. She attends Blessed Sacrament Church, Seminole where she is an Ascribed Member of the Rosminian Order. When not busy Doing Good in the community, Becky is at home with her husband David & their 4 children, tending to their beehives and digging in the garden.
