After the bathroom, the kitchen has the highest potential for accidents. That’s because it’s home to the largest number of tasks and tools that pose a threat to safety: knives, boiling water, hot and heavy pots, glasses and glass tableware, hard-to-reach shelves, etc. Many older people find themselves reducing the amount of cooking they do, especially if they live alone. They may eliminate packages that are hard to open or recipes with multiple steps and ingredients. (I certainly have.)
Look around your kitchen with a view toward adaptations that would increase safety and ease-of-use. Sometimes simple, non-structural changes will make a big difference. For example, get rid of those gorgeous enamel-covered cast iron pots that you use once a year or less. For me, the biggest boost to cooking last year was buying a really small skillet and a really small saucepan.
Before you embark on major changes, ask yourself how much you actually use the kitchen. If you don’t do much cooking, being able to easily reach utensils and ingredients may not be important.
Retrofits in the Kitchen
Googling “kitchen retrofits seniors” gave me a list of almost nine million websites, for example, How to Design a Kitchen for the Elderly. While written for someone trying to accommodate an aging relative (e.g. “be sure to involve the person with the needs in planning”), this article has good advice and links.
Modifications in the kitchen aim to facilitate kitchen activities and eliminate hazards. In the first category are lazy susans and rolling shelves; in the second, removing obstacles, adding lights in dark areas, making cabinet and door handles easy to use.
Assistive Devices in the Kitchen
Devices that facilitate food preparation and consumption abound, including utensils with large handles or handles angled to keep your hand and wrist in a natural position, electric jar openers and clip-on handles that make a pot double-handled, thus easier to carry. If your hands have a weak grip, lack flexibility, or have a limited range of motion, there are dishes to help you guide food onto a fork or spoon. Daily Living Aids for the Kitchen will help you find what you need.
Obstacles to Maintaining Good Nutrition
Many old people find it hard to get adequate nutrition. A manageable kitchen is only one factor. Others are mobility, strength, flexibility, dental health and intestinal health. Every step of the process holds potential obstacles for a senior living alone: food shopping, preparation, consumption and digestion as well as storage and cleanliness. Problems relating to food and nourishment are a major reason that old people give up their independence. (Nutrition)
Additional Resource: Home Modifications Checklist
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