Lisa Messinger's
Cookbook of the Week

Well Aged: Dining with Dignity

by Ginny Gordon Walters (GWhizz Books)

Ginny Gordon Walters' visits to her grandmother mean lots of grandmothers may eat better. Her grandmother, Gwen, is one of the 12 million people worldwide struggling with Alzheimer's disease. Walters noted that Gwen, and other seniors in her care facility with assorted problems, were struggling with feeding themselves. A lightbulb went off for Walters and she eventually wrote Well Aged: Dining With Dignity. For caregivers and seniors, it delves into nutrition, specialty tableware (such as rimmed plates, plate guards, scooper plates, non-slip placemats, specialty grip silverware, weighted utensils that help people with tremors and specialty cups), recipes (which take into account the fact that taste buds decrease with aging) and tips. Many are simple yet wise, such as, "Sit down and eat together. My grandmother maintained her weight at 110 pounds from the day she was married until she was in her mid-80s. Now she eats almost nothing when she is alone. If someone joins her for a meal she eats every scrap on her plate!"

RECIPE: Creamy Corn and Crab

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