When Is It No
Longer Safe to
Cook?
Evaluating someone for dementia
involves four key elements:
1. Medical and Family History
Current recommendations for dementia
screening involve seeking information
from those familiar with the person’s
lifetime patterns and current abilities
and behaviors, as well as seeking the
same information from the person in
separate interviews. The goal is to obtain
a complete medical and family history,
including psychiatric history and history
of cognitive and behavioral changes.
Ideally, a family member or other close
informant will provide input. The person’s
ability to accurately notice changes in
ability vary greatly due to both personal
characteristics and the types or forms of
dementia.
2. Mental Status Testing
A brief cognitive screening tool, in
combination with the rest of the
elements, may be sufficient to suggest
a diagnosis of dementia. There are a
variety of tools available. In 2003 and
then again in 2014 the U.S. Preventive
Services Task Force (USPSTF) reviewed
existing data and studies on screening
recommendations for dementia. This
report indicated that the Mini Mental
State Exam (MMSE), one of most
familiar and popular tools, is not
highly accurate and is more closely
correlated to age, socio-economic
status and educational level than as
an accurate predictor of the
The ability to safely and successfully prepare one’s own meals
can be affected early for some individuals and much later for
others. Much depends on the setting, the person’s history, the
type of dementia and the presence of other people to prompt or
cue. Screening options for ability and monitoring for continued
safe performance is similar to those found with driving. Many
people’s ability to adequately and safely shop, prepare and store
food is assumed, and not assessed. This can and does result in
emergency room visits due to food poisoning, scalding and burns,
weight loss or gain and worsening health problems.
Because many people do not think about the risk of fires and
electrocution, there is tendency to only focus on safe driving.
However, preparing one’s own meals can also be a challenge to
address. Seeking an assessment from a skilled therapist can help
with environmental, task or support alterations that can foster
continued active participation without robbing the person of the
retained abilities that are still possible. Meal preparation and lack
of ability to determine what should be eaten and when it should
be eaten can become a major determinant in seeking an alternate
setting or care support system.
Families and supporters will want to become familiar with
alternatives and options. Home delivered meals, nutritional sites,
community center meals, pre-packaged meals and self-locking
or automatic turn-off appliances can also play a role in many
situations.
Here are some resources to consider:
• CNN Article – Smart Home
• Kitchen Safety Concerns – agingcare.com
• Safety at Home – alz.org
• Five Tips to Make the Kitchen Safer –
caring.com
(Continued)
leadingageny.org
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