EDU: Entertaining with Arthritis (tips to make it easier)

[Guest guest]

Hi all! I did not write this but I thought it was great ideas and information.

I presented this a couple of years ago but there are so many new ones and we all

have that crazy " I forgot " syndrome so here it is again. New for some, reminder

for others. Smiles, Caroline

Entertaining with ArthritisCarving the turkey, baking pumpkin pie, tossing the

football around with the kids, holding your new grandchild. These are all

activities associated with Holidays. This is a season when you should be seated

around the table celebrating life, enjoying the company of family and loved ones

and giving thanks for all that you have. It should not be a time to be suffering

with pain from your arthritis.

But now give thanks because we've provided you with a list of helpful tips

below offering advice on working in the kitchen preparing your delicious

Thanksgiving feast as well as getting your house ready for guests.

Kitchen Tips

Plan ahead to limit last-minute tasks.

Use electric appliances to do jobs efficiently with little stress on your

joints.

Place a mixing bowl in the sink while stirring. A damp cloth underneath will

help keep it from slipping. Hold the mixing spoon like a dagger to take stress

off your hands.

Look for helpful kitchen tools that are easy to use and have large,

comfortable grips. Use other devices such as jar openers, peelers and special

knives.

Use disposable baking pans, nonstick sprays and foil to simply cleanup.

Use a wheeled cart to move heavy items from place to place.

Sit on a high stool while cooking or washing dishes.

Housecleaning Tips

Do one major cleaning task a day, such as washing clothes.

Sit down to sort, fold and iron clothes.

Use long-handled tools such as feather dusters, mops and brooms.

Store cleaning supplies everywhere they are used.

Use convenience products such as automatic toilet bowl cleaner, spray-on

mildew remover and shower cleaning spray to reduce scrubbing.

Entertaining can be one of the great joys of life. Gathering with friends and

family to talk, laugh, discuss and remember keeps us connected with life. Living

with arthritis can mean that it is hard to entertain in your home even if you

love it. The uncertainty of a flare, the unexpected side effects of medication

or just simple fatigue can zap your confidence about entertaining.

You don’t have to let arthritis quell your desire for a dinner party. You can

assure successful and stress-free entertaining by remembering three easy steps:

1.Plan Ahead Planning

Remember that the main goal of a gathering is to get people together for a good

time. Rarely does that mean you need to have a fancy party. It does mean showing

your guests hospitality and that means that you need to be at your best. One

way to make sure you’ll be able to enjoy your own party is to really plan it

instead of inviting people without giving the details a thought until the last

minute. Think about what kind of party you want to have, the space you have

available to you and the time in which it will take place. Think about parties

you’ve attended where you have felt welcome, relaxed and had a good time. What

made those gatherings special and what about them can you incorporate into your

own event? Here are some party ideas that make for easy and manageable events:

Game Party: Invite friends over for a game of cards or board games. You

can even have stations with different games going on or you can switch games

throughout the party. If you do it in the afternoon, have everyone bring their

own lunch and you can provide beverages and dessert. Or you can have it in the

evening and just put out some nuts, chips and dip or M & Ms and provide drinks.

Dinner and a Movie: What’s better than salad, pizza and a good movie? All

you need is a phone to order the pizza and salad and a VCR or DVD player for the

movie. This is a casual way to get together without any pressure. Clean up is

simple and everyone has a great time.

Potluck with a Twist: A dinner party is always a favorite gathering.

Invite a group of friends to dinner and assign them all different dishes to

prepare. You can either plan the whole menu and give them specific recipes. Or

tell them what you will prepare for the main dish and again let them decide what

to bring. Here are some other fun potluck ideas:

Make your own pizza - Let guests add their own favorite toppings to

pre-baked pizza crusts you can buy at the grocery store.

Progressive dinner - Join with neighbors to have each course in a

different house. It makes clean up easier for everyone.

Theme dinner - Pick a theme for dinner like Mexican, Chinese or

Southern and let everyone bring what he or she want.

Holiday Meals: If you are hosting your holiday gathering, don’t be shy

about asking for help. It is a holiday for everyone and that includes you. Make

a division-of-labor list for your family. Assign tasks beforehand so that

everyone knows his or her duties. Let your family know that you need their help

in creating a special meal for everyone.

Make your holiday meal potluck. Assign each person a dish to bring. To

cut down on cleanup, tell each person to bring food in its serving dish, which

can then be taken home to wash.

Create an assembly line in the kitchen for food preparation and

cleanup. When washing dishes, one person can wash, one can rinse, one can dry

and stack, and one can put away the dishes.

2. Organization Get Organized

When you are having a party, don’t leave everything to the last minute. If you

start ahead of time, you will have plenty of time to do everything and get

enough rest so that you can enjoy the party. The first step after deciding what

type of gathering you are having is to make a list of everything that needs to

be done before that party begins. To help make sure the list is complete, ask

yourself the following questions:

Where is the party going to be? A potluck might take place in the kitchen

and the dining room. A movie party will be focused in your TV room. If the

weather is nice, you might want to grill on the deck. Make sure your space is

adequate for your needs and make plans to clean the area.

How many people are coming? Make sure you not only ask people to R.S.V.P.,

but also follow up with them if they don’t. From this information, you will

decide how much food to have, if you have enough plates and cutlery, if you need

more chairs, etc.

What time is the party? This will help determine what you serve to drink,

what kind of lighting you will need and how to serve the food. Daytime

gatherings often are more informal and don’t need alcohol.

What type of activities will you need for the party? Do you need board

games or an easel for Pictionary? Will there be dancing? If so, what are your

music and spacing needs? Do you need to set up a special room for kids to play

in?

3. Convenience Throwing a Convenient Party

Remember that the purpose of a party is for everyone to enjoy himself or herself

- including you. You want to be well-rested, calm and in control so you can be a

gracious host or hostess. Keep it simple. Take advantage of the convenience

items we have today to make sure you have a great time. You can keep these

shortcuts to yourself and no one ever has to know. Try these quick and tasty

party ideas:

Use pre-cut crudités with a simple dip. Spice up some cream cheese with

salsa or hot pepper jelly to give this party standard some kick.

Get prepared casseroles, like lasagna or macaroni and cheese, from your

wholesale shopping club, a gourmet shop, your favorite restaurant or even the

local grocery store. Transfer the food to your own dish before heating it and no

one will ever know that you didn’t make it yourself.

You can have lovely hors d’oeuvres in minutes by just by visiting your

pantry. Marinated artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers, specialty olives and

sweet pickles become elegant morsels as soon as you open the jar.

Buy a pre-roasted chicken and heat it up for your dinner. You can add any

personal touches you want, such as vegetables, sauce or gravy, to make it your

own.

Don’t overlook the freezer section of the grocery store. It can contain a

great little meal. Pop little quiches and egg rolls in the oven for a hot treat.

Thaw out a mixed bag of fruit for a salad or put a quickly made salad into

pastry shells. For dessert you can have any number of bite-sized pastries - from

éclairs to cheesecake.

Have a baked potato or ice cream bar. Your guests will have a great time

putting together a favorite concoction and all you have to do is put out the

options.

Use the tips found in this section when preparing for your next party, casual

get-together or family holiday gathering.

(Beautiful Southern Oregon, USA)

We may not be able to change the direction of the wind, but we can adjust our

sails.

May you have enough happiness to make you kind, enough trials to make you

strong, enough sorrow to keep you human, enough hope to make you happy.

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