Aids for cooking, eating and drinking with Parkinson’s disease

Cooking, eating and drinking independently is not always easy with neurodegenerative Parkinson’s disease. In particular, tremor, i.e. trembling of the hands, slowed movements (bradykinesia), muscle stiffness (rigor), an unsteady grip, postural instability or swallowing disorders can cause difficulties when preparing food, eating meals with pleasure or drinking. Fortunately, there are many useful aids that make daily life easier for Parkinson’s patients despite the adversities and allow them to enjoy their meals without any annoying messes.

Find out everything you need to know about the many everyday helpers in the kitchen – so that you can enjoy cooking, eating and drinking again, even in company.

Maintaining independence despite Parkinson’s with aids

With the onset of typical motor Parkinson’s symptoms such as tremor, rigor, bradykinesia or even swallowing disorders, life and everyday life change. When the body simply no longer functions as it should, those affected have to think about how to deal with and live with Parkinson’s in the future. Maintaining independence is probably the most important wish at the top of the list. After all, life should continue to be enjoyable even with Parkinson’s. Therefore, try to shape your life in the way that suits you for as long as possible. And always adapt it to the new challenges that can come with Parkinson’s.

It is not just the diagnosis that is decisive for quality of life, but also the way in which new goals are handled and implemented. Parkinson’s always means new learning and practicing. For example, if you have always enjoyed cooking for friends or family and love to enjoy delicious food in company, try to maintain this passion in the future. There are so many useful tools for this – and not just in the kitchen. Avoidance strategies and social withdrawal out of shame are not good solutions in any case and take away your zest for life.

Independent living possible thanks to therapies and aids

Thanks to typical Parkinson’s medications (levodopa, dopamine agonists, MAO inhibitors or COMT inhibitors) and therapy methods (deep brain stimulation, Parkinson’s pumps), Parkinson’s patients can take care of themselves and perform household tasks independently for longer. We also present the best aids and tips to help you live independently with Parkinson’s when it comes to eating and drinking – so that helplessness does not overshadow the culinary pleasures.

Good to know: When it comes to eating or personal hygiene, people with Parkinson’s should carry out these everyday activities themselves for as long as possible and thankfully decline help from relatives. This is because they are also practising these household tasks, which are important for independence.

These aids make eating and drinking easier

If your hands are constantly shaking, everyday tasks such as cooking, eating and drinking quickly become a challenge. But which utensils should not be missing in your household and in a well-stocked kitchen? Non-slip mats, for example, which are available in different sizes and shapes, have proven to be particularly helpful. They can be used to hold plates, glasses and the like firmly in place on smooth surfaces so that nothing can slip while eating. But there are many other little helpers. Which ones? Find out below.

Cups and mugs for independent drinking

Enjoying a drink despite Parkinson’s: It is not only the trembling hands and other motor symptoms of Parkinson’s that can cause problems when drinking, but also the swallowing difficulties that often accompany the disease. When patients drink something from a glass, mug or cup, they have to be particularly careful not to get any liquid into their airways and lungs when swallowing due to the increased risk of aspiration. And to prevent this from happening, the head should not be overstretched when drinking. Special drinking aids can be used if coordination is difficult:

• Drinking tops and lids close the drinking cup and prevent the contents from spilling.
• Nose cut-out cups prevent the head from overstretching when drinking and minimize the risk of aspiration.
• Ergonomically shaped special handles on cups and drinking vessels ensure that the drinking vessel can be held securely (even with a stronger tremor).
• Thermo mugs that keep drinks warm.

Knife, spoon, fork – cutlery for a secure grip

There are cutlery sets with special handles that are specially adapted to the needs of Parkinson’s patients. They reduce food spillage and promote independent eating with tremor. These include, for example:

• Reinforced handles: Special knives, forks and spoons with reinforced handles not only make it easier to enjoy food, but also to work in the kitchen.
• Moldable handles: Special cutlery with moldable handles that can be individually adapted to requirements.
• Angled (wide) handles are particularly suitable for pots and pans.
• Specially shaped tremor or Parkinson’s spoons with an ergonomic design and special attachments ensure that soups and sauces find their way into the mouth without any annoying spills. The spoons adapt to the user’s movements.
• Special knives such as bread knives with an angled handle, carving knives that sit comfortably in the hand or paring knives that have two blades and can be attached to the table with suction cups.

For knives, spoons and forks, the most important thing is to have special handles that are particularly large and easy to grip, very light or weighted, with curved foam covers that can be slipped over normal cutlery handles to provide a better grip.

Plates, bowls and boards – stability around the tableware

Special eating aids with intelligent tricks and hidden help functions promote independent eating with motor impairments and strengthen independence. The following useful aids are available for dishes, for example:

• Suction cups for plates, boards and other tableware ensure a firm hold on the table.
• Raised edges on plates prevent food from sliding off the edge of the plate. Food can also be pushed to the edge to make it easier to transfer it to the fork or spoon.
• Plates with a sauce slope: These plates have a slight slope or bulge in which sauces collect and can then be picked up more easily by the spoon.
• Unbreakable plates (crockery) are also practical because they won’t break immediately if they do fall.
• Special insulated plates keep the food nice and warm.
• Special food boards are a helpful preparation aid when it comes to preparing bread independently. They usually have a raised edge to keep the bread on the board and anti-slip studs to prevent slipping.

What other useful tools are there for the kitchen?

Anti-slip pads for the table, anti-slip tapes for permanent attachment to handles or anti-slip studs that are attached under crockery ensure a firm grip not only for all types of kitchen utensils, but actually for all things that should not slip. There are so many other useful aids that no kitchen should be without. These include:

• Special cap openers (jar and bottle openers made of non-slip material) make it easier to open screw caps, corks, jars with lids, medicine bottles and the like. Taps and drinks bottles can also be opened and closed without any problems.
• Special kettles (kettle tippers) can transport boiling water out of the kettle without having to lift the kettle. This reduces the risk of spillage and burns.
• Automatic water dispensers make it possible to fill a cup or mug with a predetermined (small) amount of boiling water – without the need for a kettle or pot. There are also built-in hot water taps that provide larger quantities of boiling water without refilling. However, these are more expensive and need to be professionally installed.
• All-purpose scissors are equipped with robust, strong blades and can be used in a variety of ways in the kitchen (and elsewhere). In the kitchen, the scissors are suitable for cutting poultry, fish or meat. They can also be used to crack open nuts.

Experience the joy of culinary pleasure

Kitchen aids are designed to give people with Parkinson’s more confidence when eating or preparing food and drinks. They no longer have to worry about something falling or spilling while eating. Thanks to various aids, they can work independently in the kitchen and prepare delicious meals for themselves or their loved ones or for friends and acquaintances. Thanks to various everyday aids for eating, you can enjoy culinary delights again and improve your quality of life enormously.

Would you like to find out more about the diverse world of aids for Parkinson’s? In our overview article “Aids for everyday life” or in our articles “Aids for walking” and “Living safely and independently with Parkinson’s” you will find extensive information.