Drinking And Eating Aids For Seniors With Arthritis

Seniors who suffer from arthritis can have difficulty eating from regular plates and drinking glasses. Any attempt to raise a regular drinking glass to their mouths could result in embarrassment when it goes crashing to the floor due to severe pain or weak fingers and wrists. Use of forks may cause food to be pushed off the plate and also end up on the floor. This can be frustrating for seniors, especially if they had previously enjoyed a very active and independent lifestyle. Fortunately, there are special eating and drinking aids that have been created for those who suffer from arthritis and these will be looked at below.

Scoop Plates

Scoop plates prevent food from sliding out of the plate. These plates are semi-bowls and have just the right amount of depth to prevent any food that is scooped from falling on the floor. They also come with a suction pad to keep the plate firmly planted on the table.

Plate Guards

Plate guards are attached to one side of a plate. They provide a small wall that food can be scooped up against when using a regular dinner plate. This prevents embarrassing incidents where food slides off the plate, because arthritis suffers cannot balance a spoon or a fork properly.

Straw Holders

Raising a cup to drink can be difficult for seniors with arthritis. Seniors often suffer a severe blow to their self-esteem and confidence if someone has to lift their cup for them to drink. This feeling can be completely prevented by using straw holders. A straw holder is a specially designed clip that is placed on the edge of any glass or cup and a straw is inserted in a hole on the clip. This makes it easy for an arthritis sufferer to drink from a glass or cup without assistance.

Double Handled Mugs

Mugs with handles on both sides are especially useful for those who suffer from arthritis. Sometimes lifting a mug with one hand is too strenuous. A mug with handles on both sides allows an arthritis sufferer to use both hands to raise the mug to their lips. These cups are often designed with curved lids, so that arthritis sufferers have less chance of spilling hot liquids unto themselves.

For seniors who are suffering from arthritis, maintaining their independence at least to some degree is often extremely important to them. Eating and drinking aids that allow them to eat and drink on their own go a long way in maintaining their dignity.

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