OT Meal Prep Implementation and Benefits for Older Adults

By Emily Hames, MS, OTR/L
Regional Quality Assurance Liaison

I would like for you to take a moment to visualize a family member cooking. It could be your grandmother or uncle, or perhaps your parents. Visualize them reaching, bending, pouring, and recalling their favorite recipe without delay or hesitation. Visualize their pride, excitement, and continued vigor as they serve and clean up at the end of the meal. Now, take a moment to visualize what this may look like for someone with arthritis, memory loss, low vision, or who is unsteady on their feet. Visualize what a demanding task this may be for someone that would like to complete it, but will take twice as long.

Occupational therapists are trained—and to some extent, hold a natural ability to shine when guiding patients through a meal prep task. We can provide education in a variety of ways including pain and fall reduction, healthy meal choices for medical complexities, and promote psychosocial well-being. But on a deeper level, we are providing the resources and motivation to help our patients who have previously cooked or baked resume their quality of life. This is also known as restorative occupations.

Applying Restorative Occupations to Senior Meal Prepping

Through task analysis, we utilize our keen abilities to break down each step, analyze, and strategize ways to make the occupation safer, more efficient, and increase carry-over both in and out of therapy sessions. Sometimes this is best completed with the use of family or caregiver training as well as the use of adaptive equipment or environmental modifications, depending on patient factors. By doing so, we help our patients increase their autonomy, socialization, and participation in daily occupations by providing a sense of purpose and role for what might have been lost due to physical, cognitive, or emotional decline.

Throughout the years, adaptive equipment and environmental modifications have come far in potential purchasing options for various health conditions to facilitate the above-mentioned deficits. I have come to utilize many great brands throughout my therapy sessions, including those targeted to improve grasp, pinch, and efficiency within the kitchen. A vivid example that comes to mind was a recent meal prep session I had with a patient in which we utilized her rollator for retrieval of heavier items like sugar and flour with an emphasis on the use of her adaptive device to reduce falls and improve efficiency with transportation of ingredients. This patient already had an OXO Good Grips POP Containers in her home, which limits stress and strain on her joints, with the instruction to use the palm of her hand to press down versus smaller joints to push and pull off the lid.

Below are more helpful products I have personally used within therapy sessions or others that I have found in my patients’ homes.

Environmental modifications that may be assessed and utilized include those to provide increased wheelchair and rolling walker access throughout the kitchen, placing frequently used items at an appropriate height for ease of access, and lastly safety with lighting, flooring, and oven/stovetop use.

As mentioned at the beginning of this article, we as occupational therapists have a unique and skillful ability to utilize science and creativity to enhance the lives of those we come in contact with. Again, I challenge you to visualize and then strategize ways to make older adults’ lives safer, more meaningful, and fun through the use of meal prep and continued engagement in occupations that they once thought were impossible.

Occupational Therapy Products for Meal Prep Sessions

Resources and products that I have utilized within meal prep sessions:

1. AgingInPlace is a website that provides statistics and recommendations for modifications not only in the kitchen, but every room of the home! I particularly like the mention of the “Work Triangle” and avoiding falls by removing throw rugs and floors that have increased glare.
2. The American Occupational Therapy Association shares a great resource in relation to the role of occupational therapy in Aging in Place for older adults on various budgets, wants, needs, and skill levels including reducing clutter, purchase of “universal design” products, and asking for assistance when needed. Many of these recommendations carry over into the kitchen with meal prep tasks.
3. OXO Good Grips POP Containers is a product I would recommend to anyone who has decreased grip or pinch strength, pain in their hands, or those who fatigue quickly and want something easy to use for various items in the kitchen, pantry…and really in any room!
4. OXO Good Grips Peelers has a built-up handle which is great for those with sensation loss and those who need a bit more “feel” of the cooking utensil they are engaging with.
5. Shelf Liner is an item I use weekly in my therapy sessions for multiple uses! It is practical for creating a non-skid surface under cutting boards and plates or for opening jars, etc. I also find this to be a more economical choice for most patients.
6. Drive Medical: Universal Walker Tray with Cup Holder combines safety and efficiency. Utilize this item in the kitchen and transfer it into the dining room easier than with a walker tray. Multi-functional for transportation of ingredients and utensils while cooking, serving the meal once prepared, and cleaning up the dirty dishes!
7. OXO Stainless Steel Spoon with a built-up and textured handle allows for a looser grasp for arthritis and joint pain, recommended for those that have enough grip strength to hold a larger serving spoon.