No teeth. What to eat??

[Gitts2008]

I am planning a vacation with my disabled mom. Long story, but due to 2 strokes she can not put her dentures in her mouth. I am planning the parks and resort options and made some ADR's. I completely forgot about "how she will eat all of that yummy food without teeth." I could really use some help here. I already checked the "wheelchair assessable" and "other" when making the reservations. The other is because she is not permitted to eat "greens" or foods which contain Vitamin K. For those who are familiar with Warafin, you know what I mean.

Crystal Palace Dinner: She can do chicken, salmon and shrimp.

Ohana Breakfast: All foods look do able.

Chef Mickey Dinner: Most of the choices look doable.

Since she is in a wheelchair, I am considering changing one of the dinners to Garden Grill (sit down) as opposed to doing 2 buffets.

We will be there for 3 days, 2 night. Any tips on dining places?
TIA!

 

[MrsH42608]

I suggest looking at the Epcot restaurants, there are so many choices there. If she's a dessert person, she should try the Bavarian Cheesecake in Germany. They have it at both the CS & TS buffets. I know there are a good amount of soups that people recommend- Strawberry Soup at 1900 Park Fare, Cheddar Cheese Soup at LeCellier. Check out the menus under the dining link on this site & there are menus on allears as well. Good luck & enjoy your trip.

 

[clanmcculloch]

I would think that Garden Grill would be a lot easier than a buffet with your mom's issues. One meal where you have to go get your food is more than enough.

You've marked "other" on the dietary needs form. That will let your server know that you need to speak with a chef. If you're good with managing K levels on your own though you really don't need a chef; you can just pick an choose your foods yourself. At 'Ohana and Garden Grill you just ask for more of whichever foods you want more of and at buffets you just choose whichever foods you want and skip those you don't. Do you need to go beyond picking and choosing wisely? Only you know what you have to do in your every day life; if you have to specially prepare your food at home to ensure it's safe then speak to a chef and if all you do is just not eat foods high in K then just manage it on your own through smart choices. Trust me, waiting on chefs is SLOOOOOOOW. It's totally worth it if you have to (we have to due to long lists of allergies so I'm speaking from personal experience) but I would never recommend it if you can do without and still be safe and eat well without doing so.

As to what can she eat without teeth, what does she eat now? Is she able to eat meats cut up small or does is she limitted to softer foods only? If she's highly restricted because of the lack of teeth then it is worth seeing what a chef can do for her but if she already eats normal foods at home without anything special done for her then really I'd advise doing the same at WDW.

 

[Gitts2008]

Thanks! So simple and pragmatic, but I never thought of it I will look at the menus and we will speak with the chef if we have any questions about preparing a dish without certain vegetables. (I have a shellfish allergy so I have spoken to the chef's on my previous trips. They always made me feel comfortable and yes it does add time on to your meal) My mom generally eats soft foods (fish, cut up chicken, very rare burgers) at home and she is VERY good about which foods to avoid. Thanks clanmcculloch. I needed some reality.


MrsH42608: Thanks! My mom LOVED cheesecake. Biergarten's menu does not look like it has enough for her to eat, but we will definitely get some cheesecake. Thanks a bunch.

I am so focused on what she can and cant do that I am not using my brain.

If anyone has any more idea's, I would love to hear them.

 

[Hoosier Mom]

I'm not a big fan of turkey dinner, however, we went to Liberty Tree Tavern in MK and I got the turkey dinner. It was really good. The turkey was very tender. I think I cut it with my fork. It came with mashed potatoes and dressing. We finished up with chocolate cake, but they also offered a toffee dessert that was tempting also.

Another idea might be the meat loaf dinner at Primetime 50's. I would think that would be nice and tender. My husband always gets that and enjoys it.

 

[Sadie22]

Your mom needs a soft diet, because anything else puts her at risk of choking. You could get more ideas by speaking with the dietary department of your local hospital or a nursing home.

My mom had a massive stroke but was still able to wear full dentures. Perhaps your mom just needs assistance with the dentures now, or perhaps new dentures. I took my mom to a dentist to make sure everything was still okay as far as the fit of the dentures. After her stroke she couldn't speak more than a few words (aphasia and the muscles to form the sounds did not work quite right) and at first had swallowing difficulty. Choking precautions were in place. No beverages through a straw, and liquids were thickened. Speech therapists worked with her on the swallowing until she could handle more consistencies. Aides helped by applying the denture adhesive and inserting the dentures when necessary.

Perhaps with more therapy your mom will regain the ability to use her dentures. She still will probably need to stay with soft textures, but the dentures may have something to do with maintaining bone. If you haven't been briefed on that by doctor or dentist, it's something to inquire about.

Good luck! Have fun!

 

[Gitts2008]

Meatloaf would be GREAT! Thanks.

Sadie: I do remember in the hospital the "thicken" packets that she despised being put in her food. You pointed out that I need to educate myself more on the health risks of certain foods and I thank you for that tremendously. My mom is done with therapy. She had other medical issues that play a role here and why she can not wear. I will contact the therapist that she worked with to get a better idea of what she should be following up on and what I should be doing to help.
Best of luck with your mom!