How to Grocery Shop for the Elderly

Just reaching for an item can become a daunting task for an elderly person.

Grocery shopping is a task that frequently becomes more difficult for people as they age. Reaching for products, reading the small print on containers, inability to drive or just finding the energy to get out to the store can all inhibit a senior citizen's ability to shop for themselves. Often adult children, friends or neighbors step in to help an elderly acquaintance purchase her groceries. Keep in mind the changing needs and weakening bodies of the elderly so you purchase the most useful items for their pantries and refrigerators.

Things You'll Need

• grocery list
• coupons to help with costs
• a notebook

Instructions

1. Take the elderly person with you the first time you shop for her. Many people have product preferences and specific tastes, and often changing a brand is difficult for an elderly person. If walking is difficult for her, most grocery stores have motorized chairs for their customers to use. Take notes as you wander up and down the aisles with her, jotting down what her favorite brands and flavors are, so that when you shop for her in the future you are buying the items that she enjoys.

2. Create a master grocery list on a computer program listing every item she usually needs or wants. There are several templates on the Internet that can give you a head start in creating your elderly acquaintance's grocery list, allowing you to customize it to her preferences. Print her a copy each week and leave it in a conspicuous place, such as in her kitchen. When she runs out of an item or sees she will need something, she can circle those items on the list. This creates a grocery list for you each week and helps her remember items she may normally forget to ask you to purchase.

3. When shopping, choose smaller containers that are easier to lift. The elderly often do not have strength in their hands or arms or may be afflicted with arthritis. Lifting heavy bottles of detergent, cleaning supplies, milk and juice may be painful. While smaller containers may cost a bit more, it's important that the user of the product can actually manipulate it. Buy milk and juice in quart bottles, coffee in one-pound cans, laundry detergent and cleaning supplies in the smallest sizes available, and condiments such as ketchup and salad dressings in small plastic bottles.

4. Select easy to open products. Purchase aspirin and over the counter medications in easy to open bottles instead of child proof bottles. Look for cans of soup, vegetables, fruit and meat with pop top openings which may be easier to open than having to use a can opener. Look for cereal and bags of frozen items in easy to open bags.

5. Find smaller portion sizes, especially of perishable foods. Many older people find their appetites have diminished, and foods may spoil before they are eaten. Smaller portion sizes reduces wasted food and money. Ask the butcher to package just one chicken breast, pork chop or half pound of hamburger and fish. Look for tuna, vegetables, fruit and snacks such as puddings in small cans or individual containers. Buy ice cream in pint sizes and look for individually packaged novelties. Some breads come as smaller loaves with thinner slices which may be more manageable for your senior citizen.

Tips & Warnings

• Check with your elderly friend each week to see if what you are buying for her is adequate or if any changes need to occur. Her needs can change frequently.

• Avoid frozen foods or easy to prepare foods that have small print instructions or complicated instructions.

References

• Volunteer Guide: Go Grocery Shopping for an Elderly or Handicapped Neighbor
• Spark People: Nutrition and the Elderly -- Are the Seniors in Your Life Eating Well?