A therapeutic cooking program for older adults with dementia: Effects on agitation and apathy

Abstract: This study describes a clinical trial of a recreational therapy cooking program for older adults with dementia and disturbing behaviors living in an assisted living center. After two weeks of daily participation, results indicated a significant improvement in levels of both passivity and agitation. Biographical data collection was useful in identifying the physiological changes that occurred during each session. Implications for service delivery are included. Key words: therapeutic cooking program, agitation, apathy, dementia, Alzheimer's disease Article: Introduction Food-and the act of cooking-have powerful meaning to older adults. Food defines culture, family history, and traditions. For many, cooking signifies basic worth, self-image, and role identity. Food is also connected with feelings of love, pleasure and enjoyment, holidays, celebrations, family, and spirituality. The product of cooking may be regarded as something to share, as family recipes often have a history attached to them. In traditional cultures, cooking, as a practical art, is passed down from mothers and grandmothers to daughters and granddaughters with great pride. This ritual creates strong family relationship bonds. For most of today's older adults, the women in the family were traditionally the cooks and heads of the kitchen. The male cooking role took place outdoors during barbecues, camping, fishing, or hunting trips. Most older adults, both males and females, have fond memories of Mom's, Grandma's, or their spouse's home cooking. Social interactions and normalized experiences improve quality of life by providing individuals with opportunities to attain happiness, a sense of purpose, and a state of well-being. Recreational therapy experiences have been shown to relieve stress, improve physical function, reduce depression, and change behavior in older adults with dementia living in residential settings. 1 Older adults with dementia and disturbing behaviors who live in residential settings frequently have barriers to activities they performed in the past. Some of these barriers include functional, behavioral, and mobility impairments, 2 and a lack of individualized or adapted programs that address these limitations. For older adults with dementia in residential settings, the opportunity to cook or enjoy homemade foods is often limited. Cooking programs have the potential to calm, increase appetite, and entice people to a social gathering, and relieve some of the stress related to living in group settings. These programs provide familiar sensory stimulation with smells, textures, and taste. They also provide cognitive and physical stimulation. Cooking provides the opportunity to take pride in oneself and perform past roles. Providing individuals with cooking opportunities increases socialization as preparing and eating foods is the most social of all activities of daily living (ADLs) and is the glue of our social system. This article reports a study of a prescribed therapeutic cooking program for 12 older adults with dementia who resided in an assisted living center in Florida. Biographical data were collected on all participants, and treatment and control groups were examined for the effects of the therapeutic cooking program on disturbing behaviors

Activity calendars for older adults with dementia: What you see is not what you get

Abstract: This paper reports on a two-part study of nursing home recreation. In part one, a retrospective activity calendar and chart review was used in this comparative study of 107 long-term care residents with dementia. Data were collected and documented regarding demographics, cognitive and physical functioning, medications, activities listed on facility activity calendars, leisure preferences, and actual involvement in recreation over a two-week consecutive period during baseline. In part two, this information was compared to opportunities offered during a two-week clinical trial of recreational therapy. The results showed that, during baseline, almost 45 percent of the subjects in the sample received little or no facility activities, 20 percent received occasional activities, and 12 percent received daily activities but they were deemed inappropriate based on the functioning levels or interests of the residents. The clinical trial period demonstrated that small group recreational therapy was successful in engaging residents 84 percent of the time. Oct. 31, 2002, by the research staff Introduction Activities structure our lives and, for many older adults, provide a source of satisfaction and meaning. Research shows that activity patterns are highly individualized and based on our early leisure preferences, current abilities, and personality traits, 1 and are stable throughout adulthood