Eating Well with Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s
We wanted to share a couple of remarkable inventions we recently learned about — devices that benefit people who have difficulties with eating because of Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s Disease.
After witnessing her late grandmother struggle with eating as her Alzheimer’s progressed, industrial designer Sha Yao spent four years doing research and consulting with caregivers to develop a tableware set called Eatwell. From color to shape to size, every aspect of the set was designed to make eating easier and more effective for people with cognitive challenges such as dementia.
Another fascinating invention is the Liftware interchangeable spoon and fork, a device that compensates for involuntary shaking of the hands experienced by people with Parkinson’s, MS or essential tremors, allowing them to eat by themselves without spilling. The product was so promising that Google bought the device from creator Anupam Pathack in 2014, and subsequently reduced the price from $295 to $195, so that more people can benefit from it.