My mother has Parkinson's and she gets easily discouraged from eating because her hands shake badly. What food will be easy for her to eat?

There is a new product out that is like a big handle for spoons, etc. Electronically it compensates for tremors and reduces the movement by about 2/3. Brand new and not cheap but a very cool product. Get in touch with me and I will dig out info on it if you are interested.

Mother had PD, and the tremors would really plague her at times. I kind of let her see what worked for her. She finally got to where she ate with her fingers much of the time--those foods that she could be eaten that way. She used her spoon most of the time and scooped the food. She was in a nursing home the last few years, and toward the end, she would eat in her room, which helped avoid the sounds and activities of aggravating stimuli on her. This helped quell the tremors many times. It took her a long time to eat, and the past year or so, the nursing staff would serve her meal first before the other residents, so she could get a head start.

I am just starting into this with my dad as well. He is 92 and to make matters worse has started losing his teeth. Bowls have worked really well for us and softer foods. He really gets upset if i cook just for him, but frankly we just can't handle soft food all the time. I know it will get worse, at some point he will need help. He just keeps telling me that he is going to die before he needs help...right.

My mom has parkinson's as well. I try to make things that are easy to handle, like, mashed potatoes, rice, and I try to cut the meat into small pieces for her... etc. I also found some silverware that have a thick, heavy handle and scoop plates and bowls which are actually easier for her to maneuver. I was actually provided these items by the VA, but, if you google it, you should be able to find similar items online. I also make sure that she drinks ensure as a supplement, just to be on the safe side.

Hmmm.... well, i have a relative who has parkinsons, and we just put his food on a big plate, and cut his food to pieces and just let him use his hands to eat. his hand shakes badly, but it still does work,it just takes a while for him to finish

Well. thin soups don't work well. Sandwiches, pudding consistency foods and fruits work better. And for my mom, it was worth the trouble of getting someone to start her on Sinemet and find her optimal dose just for that even if it did nothing else. She hated being messy, but one day when she cajoled someone into feeding her so she would be neat, she hated that even worse and I could just see the depression and despair start to close in. If her meds are already well adjusted, an OT consult could help a bit too. One last thought - all tremor is not Parkinson's - if there is an cerbellar tremor (ataxia) it is often best helped with heavier utensils and stabilizing actions by doing them closer to the body or on a stable support.

We also put sticky velcro on the bottom of some of my dad's plates and where he eats at the table too. Less expensive than suction cup plates/bowls, a little harder to clean, but works. We also replace buttons on his shirt cuffs with velcro, helped him dress better. hope this helps

My dad had a stroke 20 years ago, and his arm shakes from nerves sometimes. He uses weighted eating utensils when his arm is acting up. You can find them on the net, they are heavier and wider in the handle than other utensils. The extra weight seems to curb the shaking and the utensils don't bring any unwanted attention to the eater - they look almost like regular ones. It also helped to buy a few plates, bowls with suction cups on bottom so that when my dad used the utensil, the plate/bowl stayed in place. I know they make arm braces that do stabilize the arm to minimize tremors but they are expensive, 500 dollars and up. The utensils are around 20 dollars. Hope this helps.

CONCERNED:

Finger foods baby! Finger foods. In a small, square bowl, place bite size morsels she can grab quickly and put in her mouth. For drinks, use wide straws and sturdy glasses she can sip from without picking them up.

Fighting with her food is probably the most embarrassing thing she's going through right now -- especially when others are watching. So eat like she does every now and then, if only to lessen her embarrassment and have some fun. You'll love it.

-- ED

My mom, age 86, has Parkinson's but shakes very little. Her problem is that she is not able to get the spoon or fork into her mouth. Her movements are very slow and she freezes up into a position and doesn't move for sometimes 15 min. I unfortunately have to feed her. She has limited movement of her jaw and teeth. Every spoonful stays in her mouth for sometimes upto 30 minutes before she swallows. I have to agree to forget using fork and spoon. Soft foods are easier to swallow, foods that don't require chewing. Another thing I make sure I do, and I think this is important, is to always check to see that there is no food left in her mouth when she goes to bed or lies down. I actually use a wash cloth and wipe out the inside of her mouth. This eliminates any food that was caught in her cheek or palet that she hadn't swallowed. On many occasions I have removed food that if left could have resulted to choking. Unfortunately that is how my dad died. He aspirated on food he had in his mouth and fell asleep with.

At this Abledata, there is a Thomas Steady Arm that might help. It helps steady arm tremors so the person can eat, brush hair, etc.
That's a great site.

My mom just uses her fingers when she has too hard a time with utensils. It works as long as the food is cut into small pieces.

Go to elderstore.com. I ordered the forks,spoon set for my mom with parkinson.They bend so its easier for her to get it in her mouth. They've been a big help for us. Blessings,Nancy

Some times if you talk to a person with tremores it helps them to relax also I was thinking of poasted veggie I make fries in the oven you can cut the potatoes any size and put a little olive oil a on them and roast on a cookie sheet until nice and brown and they have lots of iron I have a friend with hand tremores and I will ask her how she manages maybe a dietician would know she may have to be fed but if you put things in front as lonf as she has no swolling problem she will probably pick what she can eat

This is a difficult problem.

I was visiting a few patients that were bedridden over the weekend. One lady had Parkinson's... she couldn't move her right arm and the left hand shook was uncontrollable.

I am sure she was fed. She could possibly drink shakes or runny yogurt, but I would be afraid of her choking on small pieces of food.

This was the first time I had visited anyone with Parkinson's. She was very alert and we had a nice discussion.

I was showing her some pictures and she was trying to reach for them with her hand. I helped her grasp the card and held her hand. I was surprised that her hand relaxed and didn't shake when I did this.

I thanked God again for all of my abilities on the way home.

I do not know about parkinson's nutritional needs or ability to swallow - but here is what I would eat if my hands shook too much and I wanted to feed myself.
I am not a picky eater so...

First off forget the spoon & fork with shaky hands - who cares, what is important is eating and enjoying it.

You can eat a lot of things with your hands and I think you can get the items to your mouth even if your hands shake if you don't have to balance them on a fork - large steamed vegetables brocoli, carrots, califlaur, aspagus spears -those fake sea legs that are good cold or hot, egg rolls, soup thru a straw, instant breakfast thru a straw, milk, juice thru a straw,
hamburgers? hot dogs? burritos, corn dogs, turkey, PB&J Sandwiches, hot pockets, toaster streudels (I love those fattening things!)
V8 juice thru a straw


anything you can manage without having to use a fork

Wow thats a tougH one... lemmee see.... think think think...
easy... shaky.. heres an idea... I dont know if it would work or not. You know those braces they use, for folks that have had carpal tunnel surgery, I wonder if some sort of brace may assist her during meal times...man I cant think of anything beside a tippy cup or something. i WISH I knew something but I hope someone here will know... let me know how thinks work out..~nutz