Order up: how food can help people living with dementia stay independent for longer

Don’t give me eggs that bounce is an innovative cookbook for people living with dementia and their carers. The book not only provides tasty recipes, but also offers up advice, strategies and suggestions for overcoming food-related challenges. It is a vital tool for helping people living with dementia stay nourished and for making mealtimes more positive.

The book is packed with:

·        information about the importance of things like the texture and smell of food

·        advice about kitchen equipment

·        suggestions for contacts and resources

It features 118 cracking recipes from Australia’s leading aged care chef, Peter Morgan-Jones. Each recipe has been tailored for people living with dementia and is easy to make, so everyone can be involved in the cooking process. Don’t give me eggs that bounce caters for people living with all stages of dementia, to encourage a healthy diet and a more enjoyable experience during mealtimes.

Encouraging independence

For some people living with dementia, cooking can help continue or establish routines and promote independence, helping them stay living at home for longer.

Cooking can be a very nostalgic process, as it can trigger happy memories from earlier in life. For someone who used to love cooking, the ability to be in their own kitchen working with easy-to-follow recipes can help restore a sense of independence they may have lost.

In care environments, the freedom to choose what food you eat and how you like it can often be taken away. Don’t give me eggs that bounce helps promote autonomy by encouraging greater involvement in food preparation. The ‘Basics’ section is perfect for those with less kitchen confidence, meaning that no one need be left out.

The importance of nutrition

People living with dementia can experience a loss of appetite and impaired eating capabilities (such as difficulty swallowing). Over time, this can result in malnutrition. There are a range of strategies which Don’t give me eggs that bounce outlines to ensure good nutrition.

To combat weight loss or malnutrition, it is important that meals are high in protein and energy so that even small amounts of food are nutritious. The aim should be to ‘make the most of every mouthful’. Rich sources of protein (like meat, fish, eggs, and dairy) can enrich a meal and maximise the amount of energy and protein consumed.

Finger foods can help people who have difficulty eating to maintain dignity and independence at mealtimes. Being fed can feel hugely disempowering, but finger foods offer an alternative solution. The ease with which they can be eaten removes the frustration which can be felt at mealtimes by people living with dementia. Great examples of finger foods include boiled eggs, cheese blocks, and sliced meats.

A productive way to tackle someone’s loss of appetite is to encourage them to eat more often. For someone with a poor appetite, a large meal may be overwhelming and unappealing, but small snacks and meals can be more manageable. Over the course of a day, these frequent mini-meals will probably amount to a greater caloric intake than fewer larger meals.

Don’t give me eggs that bounce sheds light on the importance of cooking for people living with dementia and offers practical advice for making mealtimes a more positive and involved experience.

Don’t give me eggs that bounce and our other aged care cookbooks can be purchased from https://www.hammond.com.au/shop/food-culture

Want to learn more: we deliver bespoke dining engagement workshops on site. You can find out more at [email protected]