Ultimate List of Finger Foods For Dementia Patients

Finger Foods for People with Dementia

Is your loved one with dementia finding it harder to feed themselves? Are utensils difficult for them to hold? Sometimes, people with dementia can become less able to use utensils because they are no longer sure how to use their utensils. This can slow down their eating and so they may eat less overall.

People with dementia my also find themselves wishing to walk or pace throughout the day. I have had clients who walk quite a bit, and are more interested in walking than in sitting to eat a meal. This can also lead to less intake and, as this client is walking a lot and using a lot of calories, quite a bit of weight loss.

In both these cases, the list of finger foods for dementia patients can be helpful. 

What are Finger Foods?

Finger foods are foods that can be eaten without the use of utensils, and can be a helpful way to encourage people with dementia to eat more and maintain a healthy weight. People can eat finger foods with their hands or fingers, which is where the name comes from.

Generally finger foods will be small enough to hold, like half or one quarter of a sandwich. Cut up veggies and fruit, half a boiled egg, or small cake slices are great examples. It is important that finger foods not be very sticky or saucy, as that makes hands messy and can be unpleasant to hold. We want to encourage intake and make eating as easy and as pleasant as possible!

How can Finger Foods help People with Dementia?

Finger foods can be beneficial for people with dementia for a number of reasons.

• Improved Independence: Dementia can affect a person’s ability to recognize and use utensils, making mealtimes frustrating and challenging. Finger foods offer a sense of independence and dignity, allowing them to feed themselves with greater ease.
• Increased Food Intake: The ease of handling finger foods can encourage people with dementia to eat more, especially if they are restless or have difficulty sitting still for extended periods. Studies have shown that finger foods can increase intake by people with dementia.
• Enhanced Nutrition: By offering a variety of nutritious finger foods, caregivers can help ensure their loved one receives adequate vitamins, minerals, and calories. For example, incorporating fruit and vegetable-rich finger foods can be particularly beneficial, as these foods are often lacking in the diets of people with dementia.

Can I make meals with only finger foods?

Of course! Finger foods can be found in every food group, so you can make many fully balanced meals with finger foods. Using the list of finger foods for dementia patients to make a meal, like a simple sandwich, soup in a mug, veggie sticks and a cookie for dessert, with help make great meals that can easily be eaten with only your hands.

Safety with finger foods

Finger foods are foods made to be eaten without a utensil, usually with hands. People with dementia may forget to clean their hands properly before meals. If giving a person with dementia finger foods, it is a good idea to make sure that their hands are clean first.

Starches

Starchy foods are foods made from grains like flour or rice. Many vegetables also considered to be starches, including everyone’s favorite, potatoes. Starchy foods are important for providing energy for the brain and for muscles, and well as fiber.

Are starches good or bad for you?

Starches can sometimes have a bad reputation as fattening foods. Fries, baked desserts and sugar are all starches. Higher fiber and less processed foods like whole grain bread, brown rice and barley are also starches.

It is important to remember that starches are necessary for a balanced, healthy diet. For most people, including some people with dementia, eating less processed starches is the best choice. Some people with dementia, however, eat less than they should, and also may pace and walk throughout the day. For these people, having starches that are more processed, more often, can be a better choice to ensure that they get enough energy and do not lose weight.

List of Finger Foods for Dementia Patients: Starches

• Baked plantain chips
• Breadsticks
• English Muffin
• Fries or Sweet potato fries
• Graham crackers
• Granola bars
• Mashed potato croquettes
• Mini baked potato
• Mini bagels
• Pita bread, cut up. Guacamole would be a great dip
• Plantain, baked or fried
• Polenta fries
• Potato wedges
• Puff pastry bites
• Rice cakes: Can serve dips or spreads for extra calories and protein: hummus, peanut butter, cheese spread, guacamole.  
• Tater tots
• Tortilla chips with salsa

Softer Starches

Some people with dementia have difficulty chewing or swallowing foods. Sometimes softer starches, like the ones below, are easier for them to chew and swallow.

• Cornbread muffins
• French toast sticks – cut into easy-to hold strips. Serve with syrup as dip to moisten
• Large Pastas – gnocchi, paccheri, large penne. For your loved one you could use the sauce as a dip so the pasta shells are not too messy to pick up.
• Mini muffins (banana, apple, etc.)
• Mini pancakes. Serve with syrup as dip to moisten
• Rice balls (onigiri) with the seaweed removed.
• Stuffed ravioli
• Soda crackers. Can serve dips or spreads for extra calories and protein: hummus, peanut butter, cheese spread, guacamole.  
• Soft dinner rolls. Serve with a spread to make these softer and more moist.
• Soft pretzel bites
• Toast or cinnamon toast sticks – cut into easy-to hold strips. Add butter or margarine to moisten.
• Waffles cut into strips. Serve with syrup as dip to moisten

Protein

Protein foods include meat, vegetable protein, eggs and dairy foods like cheese. These foods are especially important for people with dementia who do not eat enough. When people do not eat enough, they can lose weight and muscle, which leads to reduced strength and can lead to falls. Protein helps people to keep their muscle mass and strength which can help them stay as strong as possible for as long as possible.

List of Finger Foods for Dementia Patients: Protein

• Baked chickpeas
• Beef jerky
• Canned beans, drained
• Chicken nuggets or tenders, baked or grilled
• Chicken strips
• Cocktail shrimp, shelled
• Edamame (shelled and lightly salted)
• Falafel bites
• Fish Sticks – Baked or grilled
• Kebab (can be chicken, beef, or any other meat) removed from skewer
• Mini Meatloaf Muffins – Meatloaf baked in a muffin tin for easy, handheld portions.
• Nuts
• Protein bars
• Salmon croquettes (small, bite-sized)
• Salmon or tuna patty
• Sausage patties, cut up
• Smoked salmon, diced
• Turkey or chicken rolls, sliced
• Turkey or chicken sausage – alone and sliced, or served on a bun
• Veggie Patties, cut up

Softer Protein Items

Some people with dementia have difficulty chewing or swallowing foods. Sometimes softer proteins, like the ones below, are easier for them to chew and swallow.

• Chicken cubed
• Chicken salad on soft bread rounds
• Deviled eggs
• Diced tofu with minimal sauce so it is not too messy to hold
• Frittata with easy to chew veggies
• Ham and cheese pinwheels
• Hard-boiled eggs (halved or quartered)
• Mini quiches
• Muffin tin egg bites
• Sliced deli turkey or ham
• Sliced or diced cheese
• Soft Mini meatballs
• Tempeh
• Tuna salad on crackers

Dairy

Dairy items are usually quite soft and easier to chew

• Cheese cubes or cheese sticks
• Bocconcini cheese, drained
• Dairy based drinks:
  • Milk – white or chocolate
  • Milkshake
  • Smoothie – made with yogurt
  • Kefir
• String cheese
• Yogurt (drinkable) or in a tube

Fruits

Fruits are excellent finger food snacks, as they can be easy to hold and provide calories, vitamins, and minerals. They also often contain a lot of water, and so can help keep a person hydrated if they do not drink much.

List of Finger Foods for Dementia Patients: Fruits

• Apple slices. You can add peanut butter for extra protein and calories.
• Blackberries
• Blueberries
• Grapes (cut in half for safety)
• Kiwi slices
• Orange segments or mandarin segments
• Papaya chunks
• Pineapple chunks
• Raspberries
• Strawberries

Softer Fruits

Softer fruits, like the ones below, may easier for people with dementia to chew and swallow.

• Applesauce (or any fruit puree) in a cup
• Banana, sliced
• Fruit smoothie. Add Greek yogurt for extra protein
• Peach slices
• Pear slices
• Ripe mango slices
• Soft diced cantaloupe
• Watermelon sticks or cubes

Vegetables

Vegetables, like fruits, are excellent finger food snacks, as they can be easy to hold and provide calories, vitamins, and minerals. They also often contain a lot of fiber, and so can help keep a person regular.

List of Finger Foods for Dementia Patients: Vegetables

• Baby carrots or carrot sticks, raw
• Broccoli florets, raw
• Cauliflower florets, raw
• Grape or cherry tomatoes, cut in half for safety
• Jicama sticks
• Radishes (sliced)
• Steamed green beans
• Veggie sticks: with a dip – cream cheese, cheese sauce, hummus, or peanut butter
  • Celery sticks
  • Cucumber slices
  • Bell pepper strips
  • Sugar snap peas
  • Zucchini sticks (raw or lightly steamed)

Softer Vegetables

Some softer vegetables, like the ones below, may easier for people with dementia to chew and swallow.

• Baby carrots or diced carrots, cooked
• Broccoli florets, cut up and cooked
• Cauliflower florets, cut up and cooked
• Green beans, canned or cooked well and cut up

Desserts

Desserts can be helpful for people with dementia who do not eat enough because they help encourage people with dementia to eat and get enough calories to avoid weight loss.

List of Finger Foods for Dementia Patients: Desserts

• Cookies
• Baked apples with cinnamon, cut up
• Biscotti (soft)
• Blondie bars
• Brownie bites
• Carrot cake bites
• Cinnamon sugar pita chips
• Chocolate-covered strawberries
• Chocolate truffles
• Fruit tarts
• Ladyfingers
• Mini apple pies
• Mini donuts
• Mini eclairs
• Muffins
• Peanut butter fudge bites
• Pound cake, sliced
• Rice Krispie treats
• Sliced banana bread or zucchini bread

Softer Desserts

Softer desserts can be easier to find. If your loved one with dementia has difficulty with chewing and swallowing, these desserts may be easier for them to eat.

• Angel food cake bites
• Banana bread slices
• Cinnamon roll, mini or cut up
• Chocolate-covered banana bites
• Cookies – soft varieties, including digestives
• Ice cream – cone, sandwich, bar
• Lemon bars
• Milkshake
• Mini cheesecakes
• Mini cupcakes
• Popsicle
• Shortbread cookies
• Small cream puffs
• Smoothies, like this High Protein Chocolate Smoothie.
• Soft fudge bites
• Soft sugar cookies

Finger Food Friendly Meal Ideas

Are you ready to think about finger-food friendly meals? Here are some ideas to get you started. While you look at this list, think of ways to make your favorite family dinners more finger food friendly for your loved one with dementia.

List of Finger Food Friendly Meals

• Baked Empanadas – Small pastries filled with ground beef, chicken, or cheese.
• Burritos/ Wraps – Soft tortillas filled with shredded turkey or chicken, some mashed avocado or soft cheese, cut into smaller, manageable pieces.
• Dumplings – flavored meat or veggies wrapped in dough and boiled or fried.
• Egg Muffins – Scrambled eggs mixed with vegetables and baked in muffin tins.
• Eggrolls/ Spring rolls/ Salad rolls
• Mac and Cheese Bites – Mac and cheese baked in muffin tins for easy-to-grab portions.
• Mini Bao – Steamed buns stuffed with meat or vegetables.
• Mini Sandwiches/Sliders – Small, easy-to-hold sandwiches made with soft bread and simple fillings like turkey, ham, egg salad, or chicken salad. Cut sandwiches into quarters to make holding them easier.
• Mini Shepherd’s Pies – Ground meat and mashed potatoes baked in individual muffin cups. Here’s an option you can try!
• Pigs in a Blanket – Small sausages wrapped in flaky dough.
• Pizza – Mini pizzas on mini bagels or a large pizza, cut up.
• Quesadilla Triangles – Soft tortillas filled with melted cheese, shredded chicken, and sliced veggies, cut into triangles.
• Soup, served in a mug.
• Stuffed Cabbage Roll – Cabbage leaves stuffed with rice and ground meat, cut into smaller portions.
• Stuffed Mini Peppers – Baby bell peppers stuffed with a mixture of ground meat or quinoa and cheese.
• Stuffed Pasta Shells – Large pasta shells stuffed with ricotta and spinach, served in bite sized slices.

References

Visscher, A., Battjes-Fries, M.C.E., van de Rest, O. et al. Fingerfoods: a feasibility study to enhance fruit and vegetable consumption in Dutch patients with dementia in a nursing home. BMC Geriatr 20, 423 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-020-01792-5

Heelan M., Prieto J., Roberts H., Gallant N., Barnes C. & Green S. The use of finger
foods in care settings: an integrative review. J Hum Nutr Diet. 33 (2020), 187–197.
https://doi.org/10.1111/jhn.12725

Kimura, A., Yamaguchi, K., Tohara, H. et al. Addition of sauce enhances finger-snack intake among Japanese elderly oeople with dementia. Clin Interv Aging, 14 (2019), 2031–2040. https://doi.org/10.2147/CIA.S225815