Parkinson's disease

[TooPatient]

My grandmother was recently diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. She's had some other health issues over the last year too.

She doesn't have as much strength in her hands/arms as she used to and gets tired pretty easily.

Grandma LOVES to cook for people. She worked as a baker forever (started in a bakery when a teenager, retired about 7 years ago after a couple of decades as the head baker for our school district) and was always cooking/baking something yummy to have for friends/family who visited.
With these health issues, she hasn't been able to do this as much anymore and I can see that it really leaves her sad. My grandfather pretty much cooks all of their meals now (due to her health) so she doesn't even get to do that much any more.

The doctors have started her on medicine for the shaking so we're hoping that will help her. She's doing better now -- she can manage a fork/knife again.


Any helpful kitchen gadgets (or just help around the house gadgets) to make her life easier and more comfortable? I'd really love to be able to find her stuff that would let her start cooking/baking again since I know she really misses that.

She has a Kitchen Aid stand mixer already.

Any ideas???


Oh --- I had thought about a nice food processor and talked with her about those. She's had a couple over the years but never used them because they were "noisy".

 

[dragonfly411]

Too patient - A crockpot, an food processor that offers slicing and dicing, a blender, a dutch oven, and a steamer. There are so many options for meals and desserts with crockpots.

Also, I would say try letting her be in CHARGE of what's going on with the cooking. Let her find the recipes, dictate the meal and dictate how it is done on days she doesn't have strength to do everything herself.

 

[soocool]

My friend's father has Parkinson's and she found items that were unbreakable helped immensely. Whenever he broke a cup or a plate it made him feel so terrible and since she replaced with non-breakable dinner and drink ware it was easier emotionally for him.

ETA: I remembered after I posted this: she got him non slip plates and bowls and non tipping cup holders

 

[TooPatient]

df --
Crockpot! I had completely forgotten about them (even though I made breakfast in one today ) -- I've got a Hamilton Beach that has 3 different sized crocks so you can use the size you need.
Food Processor is the big one I had been thinking about. I know they make them with different sized bins so she can use the size she needs to grate/slice/etc. -- Not sure about how loud these ones are since I've heard different things from different people. Hmmmm.... I wonder if I can get someone at a store to let me play with these...


SC -- I like the non-breakable (and non-skid!) stuff too. They've had the same dishes forever (okay, well at least the last 25 years) so I think that's something we could start replacing with new (non-break/non-skid) stuff. I don't think she's broken anything yet but I'm sure she'd feel miserable if she did.

 

[Prana]

everything suggested is great! I'd like to add- utensils with larger than normal handles or something that has grips/larger surface areas to make it easier for her to hold onto things.

Also, if her insurance covers it, have her go to an occupational therapist...they can suggest and get her all sorts of helpful stuff!

 

[texaskj]

Oxo tools might be easier for her to grip.

 

[monarch64]

Larger everyday tools such as t.v. remotes and a telephone with larger buttons may be of some help, they are definitely available.

She may need writing utensils as well that are larger and more easy to grip, you can find larger sized pens with great grips at places like Staples or Office Max.

I would be careful when purchasing a CrockPot for her--you might want to look for one with an unbreakable lid as many of them feature glass lids.

Hairbrushes/combs with larger, rubbery-grip handles are another thing she might find useful.

There are a ton of products/ideas on a site called abledata.com for people suffering from conditions or diseases that decrease their fine motor skills, so you can check that out as well. Best of luck to your grandma!

 

[TooPatient]

Thank you all for your thoughtful responses!

So much I hadn't even thought about...

We (my whole family chipped in!!!) just bought them a bigger tv and set them up with surround sound so they are both able to see and hear that a lot better now. I like the idea of a remote with bigger buttons!


There is so much every day stuff that I just hadn't thought about -- stuff that just blends into the background of every day life.
Grandma is doing "okay" right now but we all want to make sure she has what she needs to make life comfortable so we're starting to transition/replace stuff gradually so it isn't too overwhelming/depressing/upsetting/etc.


Monarch,
Thanks for the website. I'm going to take a look and see what the suggest.

And Oxo kitchen tools!! I've seen those!