Confession time. This weekend was the first time in my life I have ever used a nut cracker. I feel like I’ve been deprived my whole life. It’s was amazingly fun. So much so that even when I was tired of eating nuts, I kept cracking them and feeding them to my amused, then annoyed, then angry relatives. So, with that disclosure in place, here comes the rest of this post.
Cracking nuts may be a long-term memory for those with memory loss, which is perfect. Or, it might be a new skill/hobby, but it’s ease makes it a snap to do, even with no previous experience. Either way, you can’t lose. It’s repetitive, which is great for those who get lost with multi-step tasks. It’s delicious (just make sure the person with memory loss is stable able to tell shells from nuts). It’s useful (if you make cookies with nuts, why not let the person with memory loss help by shelling them by hand rather than buying them pre-shelled?). In short, cracking nuts/using a nut cracker is a pretty ideal activity for those with memory loss. It’s even seasonal, so that’s a bonus.
Using a traditional cracker may be hard for those with arthritis/a weak grip, but there are lots of different version you could try. Just type “nut cracker” into google and you’ll be amazed and all the different ways to get the meat out of the hull!
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