A woman designed tableware to help people with Dementia/ Alzheimer's better deal with mealtime.
http://www.buzzfeed.com/fionarutherford/a-woman-designed-tableware-for-people-with-alzheimers-inspir?bffbfood&utm_term=4ldqphi#.ohE1ZrAwEG
Showing posts with label Eating. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Eating. Show all posts
Thursday, August 27, 2015
Monday, October 21, 2013
S-POPS
This has been going on for a while but seems here to stay so I thought I would post about it. Gregory has developed the Sandwich Perception and Orientation Problems Syndrome. If I were a doctor I could coin the name S-POPS and become famous. The symptoms present themselves in Gregory's being unable to orient a sandwich correctly to efficiently get it into his mouth for a bite.
Imagine eating a hot dog. One tips one's head left or right while holding the hot dog parallel to the plate and bites from one end towards the other end. Thus the mustard and especially the onions and pickle relish stay on the dog during the biting process.
Next picture a cheese berger. The round bun, containing the beef and condiments, can be held at 90 degrees to the plate as the bites take place and chances are the bun will hold the contents in place.
Both above scenarios present only minor problems if one is seated at a table and can hold the said sandwich over a plate. If items fall off onto the plate, they can be picked up with your fingers (even though the fork is sitting at the right of the plate) and consumed without much problem.
More perplexing is when the long, cylindrical hot dog type sandwich or the round burger type sandwich (or for that matter the square Wonder Bread type sandwich) are aimed toward the mouth at an impossible angle for not only 1) condiment maintenance but also for 2) basic biting.
The biggest problem by far comes when trying to eat a sandwich in the car. Sometimes the wrapper snuggled around the bottom of the burger like a diaper on a baby's bottom will help, but not always especially if the angle of sandwich presentation is plus/minus the required parallel or 90 degree angle.
Possible solutions: Do not eat in the car. Wear a bib. Don't notice the difficulty and drive bravely forward.
Imagine eating a hot dog. One tips one's head left or right while holding the hot dog parallel to the plate and bites from one end towards the other end. Thus the mustard and especially the onions and pickle relish stay on the dog during the biting process.
Next picture a cheese berger. The round bun, containing the beef and condiments, can be held at 90 degrees to the plate as the bites take place and chances are the bun will hold the contents in place.
Both above scenarios present only minor problems if one is seated at a table and can hold the said sandwich over a plate. If items fall off onto the plate, they can be picked up with your fingers (even though the fork is sitting at the right of the plate) and consumed without much problem.
More perplexing is when the long, cylindrical hot dog type sandwich or the round burger type sandwich (or for that matter the square Wonder Bread type sandwich) are aimed toward the mouth at an impossible angle for not only 1) condiment maintenance but also for 2) basic biting.
The biggest problem by far comes when trying to eat a sandwich in the car. Sometimes the wrapper snuggled around the bottom of the burger like a diaper on a baby's bottom will help, but not always especially if the angle of sandwich presentation is plus/minus the required parallel or 90 degree angle.
Possible solutions: Do not eat in the car. Wear a bib. Don't notice the difficulty and drive bravely forward.
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
The Long and Short of It
If he can no longer read at bedtime, he will not read at bedtime.
If he can no longer take his vitamins, he will not take vitamins.
If he can no longer floss or brush, he will not floss or brush.
If he can no longer fold the towels, he will not fold towels.
But if he can no longer eat, does that mean we can just starve?
If he can no longer toilet, does that mean we can just stop shitting?
If he can no longer shower, does that mean we can just have B.O.?
If he can no longer use words, does that mean can just live in silence?
He looks and walks and sits and yawns and sleeps like a real person
But he doesn't understand or communicate anymore like a real person.
He doesn't function or think or understand anymore like a real person
He is broken yet refuses to run down and stop trying to be a person.
If we can no longer live, does that mean we can just die?
I know that the recent BLOGs have been down and depressed. Gregory seems to be going through a lot of loss again recently. I hope he will level out soon and hold, so I can figure how to respectfully, lovingly, supportively be there for him. Right now I do not know how to work with these new losses. Give me a few more days or maybe a week, OK?
If he can no longer take his vitamins, he will not take vitamins.
If he can no longer floss or brush, he will not floss or brush.
If he can no longer fold the towels, he will not fold towels.
But if he can no longer eat, does that mean we can just starve?
If he can no longer toilet, does that mean we can just stop shitting?
If he can no longer shower, does that mean we can just have B.O.?
If he can no longer use words, does that mean can just live in silence?
He looks and walks and sits and yawns and sleeps like a real person
But he doesn't understand or communicate anymore like a real person.
He doesn't function or think or understand anymore like a real person
He is broken yet refuses to run down and stop trying to be a person.
If we can no longer live, does that mean we can just die?
I know that the recent BLOGs have been down and depressed. Gregory seems to be going through a lot of loss again recently. I hope he will level out soon and hold, so I can figure how to respectfully, lovingly, supportively be there for him. Right now I do not know how to work with these new losses. Give me a few more days or maybe a week, OK?
Monday, August 26, 2013
A Letter To A Friend
S,
I appreciate your comments. I have never entertained the possibility that we get fewer invites. We always enjoy seeing you and being with you (and your and M's making it easier to see B.) As we discussed gearing down G's yearly birthday July 4th party, I certainly understand "little time and less money and energy."
Our life has become more narrow. We do enjoy our opera, legitimate theater, musicals, NETFLIX, and the movies. I enjoy cooking and experimenting in the kitchen. Having people in now and then is still fun but getting harder. Being with people becomes a little more difficult partly because of Gregory, partly because of the extra energy I have to spend to monitor and provide for G, tell my stories and his, etc.
I am definitely feeling a little older and a little more tired but not to the point that I am "in trouble." Also, when he has had a difficult day and/or I am feeling down it is hard to be with people and keep up the positive front and the running commentary. Being home and alone and quiet works well. We depend on listening to music a lot to disguise the fact that we no longer can have two sided conversations but also because we enjoy the music. It has a calming effect on both of us.
Current changes, for which I am still trying to figure out how to compensate, is his not knowing how a book works, so no bed time reading; increased difficulty dealing with too many items on his dinner plate; perseveration in some minor annoying behaviors; continued loss of even more common word associations; needing more of my attention as his "Bowel Coach." I'll not go into detail about the later.
Yesterday I fixed G his five o'clock coffee and cookies, placing both on the counter and showing him. He took the cookies to his desk, ate them. Later when I was preparing dinner I saw that he left the coffee behind on the counter, not even realizing there was no coffee with his coffee and cookies.
Your offer to "be there" and in effect your "being there" is generous and gracious and in itself makes my life nicer/easier. Right now that is about all you can do and should consider it well received.
I do like the idea of Gregory and I picking you up and driving downtown to a hot dog and movie show with B. The new companion should make it easier so I can get away and have some time to myself and allow me to run errands without having to bring Gregory along all the time.
Soon. Love to M.
m
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Forks Over Knives
Interesting. We have been spontaneously "gravitating" towards more veggies, grains, and fruits and away from red meat, pork, and poultry. Not sure that we will ever be able to totally do away with "Food With Faces" but have cut way back.
This has helped me as well as Gregory. He has always eaten "healthy" and I attribute some of his slow decline to this. I have been eating more carefully over the last ten years or so and recently joined Weight Watchers to get down to my fighting weight.
Watched a great movie (on DVD) that deals with a move to vegetables and fruit and grains called "Forks Over Knives" by T. Colin Campbell, PhD and Caldwell B. Esselstyn, Jr. MD. (There is a companion book on Amazon.)
I need to make sure I am healthy and around for a long time to be able to be Gregory's Care Giving Partner. Thanks Zeyda.
This has helped me as well as Gregory. He has always eaten "healthy" and I attribute some of his slow decline to this. I have been eating more carefully over the last ten years or so and recently joined Weight Watchers to get down to my fighting weight.
Watched a great movie (on DVD) that deals with a move to vegetables and fruit and grains called "Forks Over Knives" by T. Colin Campbell, PhD and Caldwell B. Esselstyn, Jr. MD. (There is a companion book on Amazon.)
I need to make sure I am healthy and around for a long time to be able to be Gregory's Care Giving Partner. Thanks Zeyda.
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