No matter how you say it, slice it, prepare it, or eat it, food is a common denominator for all humans. Eating with others is a social behavior people have been participating in since the beginning of time. People love to talk about food, look at new recipes, and go out to eat.Playing Food Trivia with dementia patients can be a lot of fun and easy for Caretakers to create.
Reminiscence therapy
Reminiscence therapy (RT) is an important activity to use with people in moderate stages of dementia and Alzheimer’s. As the term implies, it is a therapy created to help Alzheimer’s and dementia patients recall their past including events, people, places, or feelings. RT can take many forms and uses all the senses. Seeing, hearing, tasting, and touching an item can engage a person with dementia to remember and recall something of the past. RT can be as informal as a conversation or a story from the past. Using activities such as trivia can also be excellent in recall and reminiscence therapy. Instead of asking a general (and sometimes too vague) question, the response might not be optimal. Giving the same patient a photo of something from the past, or providing something to taste or hear, will possibly trigger more memories.
Let’s get started exploring how many ways to reminisce! Caregiver tips on creating a fun trivia game around food.
At Activity Uplift, there are downloads for trivia about food eaten all over the world. This activity can be used in conjunction with real food. If you are working with a group of Seniors in the moderate dementia stage, food created around the specific Food Activity printout can be engaging and lots of fun.
There are eight questions about food or drink. If you have foodies in your group, they may know the answers already.Here are some additional food facts about each item listed.
Ratatouille is a French dish made mostly in summer. It is typically made of summer vegetables in a red (tomato) sauce. This includes squash, onions, eggplants, and tomatoes.
Tapas in Spanish means little bites. Small dishes of vegetables, seafood, and meat are fun to eat with other people.
A quiche is a dish from France though in Spain, another dish similar to quiche is called a frittata. Both are made of eggs, some cheese, and other added ingredients such as red and green vegetables.
The origin of the Reuben sandwiches is up for debate. *1 Some report Manager Schimmel’s son who worked in the kitchen of The Blackstone Hotel made a sandwich upon request of a regular guest, Reuben Kulakofsky, a Lithuanian Jewish grocer in Omaha, Nebraska.
Another story says Arnold Reuben made the Reuben Special in 1914 in New York City at his delicatessen.
Saffron is derived from a flower. It’s harvested from the stigma and styles making it labor-intensive to harvest in large quantities.
The Mojito was created in Havana, Cuba for medicinal qualities. *2 Sir Frances Drake was said to have drunk its early form in the 16th century and at this time it was called La Draque.
Gazpacho is a traditional Spanish cold soup created for hot weather. It’s largely made of tomatoes, cucumbers, garlic, onions, and spices. It is thought to originate in the Andalusian region of Southern Spain.
Another American favorite dessert made to dazzle, Baked Alaska was supposedly created by Delmonico’s chef in New York City in honor of the acquisition of Alaska from the Russian Empire in 1867. *3
Use food as an entree to remember the past
Food is a powerful trigger of emotions and events. Remember how you loved the chocolate pudding your grandmother made you as a child? Or maybe it was a Baby Ruth bar your mom bought you and your sister at the convenience store as a treat. Is there a food your family eats as part of your ancestry? An American Italian loves his Nona’s gnocchi. The Food Trivia Activity has beautiful photos of traditional food from around the world. Any photo or question is a good jumping-off point for discussion with your client or loved one.
Ask each person you are caring for if they can tell of a favorite food they loved as a kid or adult.
Ask who or where they would eat this dish.
Ask if there was a dish in their family that everyone ate. Did it have a special meaning, as part of the family?
Continue using Reminiscence in all situations.
A caregiver may be a family member. You can introduce this game to other family members to create a bond with the loved one suffering from dementia. If you all eat together regularly, you can bring an activity food sheet and take the quiz with all your family members. As people age, their taste buds diminish in registering taste making it difficult to enjoy food. As a result, elderly people may lose their appetite and become nutritionally malnourished.
Encouraging Engagement With Food
Photos of food, offering food, and talking about favorite meals may help a loved one with dementia engage more with food. Many caregivers struggle with getting their loved ones to eat, but familiar foods and memories tied to meals can sometimes spark interest. Seeing a picture of a favorite dish, smelling a familiar spice, or reminiscing about family dinners might encourage them to take a few bites. If eating full meals is difficult, drinks like Ensure or small, frequent snacks can help maintain nutrition. Food trivia activities can also be a fun way to spark conversation and recall positive memories, making mealtime more enjoyable and engaging. Even if they don’t eat much, simply talking about food and past mealtime traditions can bring comfort and connection.
