January 17, 2009 at 4:20 pm

Here’s a tip on how to get your loved one to eat, if they are still spending part of the day alone but forget meals.

In my own situation, I cleaned off a shelf in our refrigerator and labeled it with her name. Then I bought some large, white divider plates to put her meals on. I made a big deal out of giving her these plates and explaining they were her special plates.

Every day, I put her meals for the day on that shelf, and that shelf only. Her instructions are to eat all the food on that shelf during the time she spends alone. If I don’t have time to cook anything, I take frozen microwavable meals out of the box and put them on the shelf so they’ll have time to thaw overnight. That way, she can heat them up in a minute or two without any complex instructions.

I always put a sweet on the shelf, like cookies or pie. She remembers to go to the refrigerator if she finds sweets there regularly. I also put grapes and other assorted foods on the shelf.

This strategy has worked so far because she is still able to set the microwave for a minute. If she forgets any food in the microwave, I make her get out of bed and eat the last meal even though it annoys her. That helps impress on her the importance of eating all the food before she goes to bed.

I hope my idea will help someone. Getting your loved one to eat regular, nutritious meals goes a long way in helping them retain their ability to function independently.

Good luck!

January 17, 2009 at 7:58 pm

😀 Rhonda……a wonderful and thoughtful tip. Thank you for posting.

Sandy