Supporting Independence in the Kitchen:

for an Elderly Adult with Alzheimer’s

Senior Care in NYC

Being a family caregiver for an elderly adult who is coping with Alzheimer’s disease can be one of the most challenging experiences of your life, but not simply because of the care efforts that you need to put forth for them. As you are caring for your parent you must also remember that they are still an individual and take steps to support their need for independence, autonomy, and self-expression. It can be difficult to know that your parent is struggling and not just step in and handle things for them. By doing what you can to encourage them to do more for themselves, however, you help to keep their mind sharper and more responsive, and improve their quality of life as they age in place.

One area where your parent’s independence might be challenged early in the disease is the kitchen. This room can pose a variety of dangers, but it is possible to help your parent find ways to keep up with familiar tasks and stay more independent even as they cope with the advancement of symptoms throughout the progression of Alzheimer’s. Use these tips to help support independence in the kitchen for your elderly adult with Alzheimer’s disease:

• Organize for safety. The most important consideration when encouraging your parent to maintain more independence is safety. This pertains to any room of the home or any task that they are doing, but it can be especially pressing in the kitchen. Go through this room and organize it so that sharp implements and other potentially dangerous items are out of reach. Put ingredients that they use most frequently within easy reach to prevent climbing or items falling, and clearly label everything to make items easier to find.
• Choose easy appliances. Some contemporary appliances are difficult for even younger people to understand. Replace your parent’s appliances with options that are simpler and more streamlined so that they can handle basic tasks such as making a cup of coffee on their own. Even this one task can give them a sense of accomplishment and autonomy.
• Arrange items for ease of use. You might have a specific way that you think a kitchen should be organized, but when it comes to a senior with Alzheimer’s disease, this organization approach might need to change. Consider arranging items so that they are easier to use, such as storing peanut butter and bread beside each other or placing the can opener beside their canned foods rather than in a drawer. This will make it easier for them to find items and for them to use them properly and effectively.

If your elderly loved one has recently been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease or they have progressed in their symptoms to the point that you think they could benefit from additional support, now may be the ideal time for you to consider senior care. The highly-personalized services of a senior home care services provider are designed to specifically address your elderly parent’s individual needs, challenges, and limitations, but also to prepare them for future symptoms, provide proactive care and support, and encourage them to maintain their mental and emotional health and well-being throughout their later years. This can mean that they enjoy more independence, activity, and engagement, while still staying safe, healthy, and comfortable. Through these efforts your parent can maintain more cognitive functioning and experience a more fulfilling and meaningful lifestyle even as they progress through their condition. When it comes to supporting greater independence in the kitchen, this care provider can help to streamline and improve the organization of the kitchen to keep potentially dangerous implements out of your parent’s reach as well as offer guidance and support in handling tasks. Just their presence and encouragement can help your parent feel more capable and confident, supporting their efforts to keep doing as much for themselves as possible as they progress through this disease.

If you or an aging loved one are considering senior care in NYC, please call the caring staff at Right at Home of Brooklyn (347) 554-8400.

Walter Ochoa is the owner and operator of Right at Home, which is located in Brooklyn. Walter graduated from the University of the Valley in Guatemala. He met and married his college sweetheart, Jean, who is American. They moved to Brooklyn, where they currently live with their 2 children. They are very involved in the community.

Walter has worked for some of the top financial service companies holding various positions from Project Management to Compliance Control Specialist. Despite his success, he had always wanted to do something more fulfilling that would give him a greater sense of inner satisfaction. He wanted to assist those who wished to stay in their own homes, but could no longer do it alone, like the elderly and disabled. So when the opportunity arose for him to start his own business, he took it. In 2010, Walter and Jean ventured to open Right at Home of Brooklyn, which services all of New York City.

Walter knows he made the right decision because he saw the need was definitely there. Now Right at Home assists not only the elderly and disabled, but adults of any age that need some assistance or an extra hand to continue living Right at Home.” That conviction, plus his Culture of Care philosophy, makes Right at Home one of the most Care driven Home Care agencies around.