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Recent discussions on this BB about PD & the family remind me of difficult times around the dining room table in our family. My father often had great difficulty eating. At times he could barely hold his fork or spoon. If he was successful at capturing some of the food on his plate there was no guarantee that it would reach his mouth. This became a very tense family experience as my mother would scold him out of frustration thus making matters worse. There are catalogs available that sell specialized utensils to make eating easier. One less expensive suggestion is to attach a tennis ball on to the handle of a fork or spoon to provide better grip. (My father had difficulty closing his hand around a utensil handle or gripping it with much strength). Another helpful suggestion is to use heavier plates with high walls. This makes it easier to "load up" a fork. Cutting up food into small pieces helps as well. When all else failed I would often feed may father. Some would find this embarrassing, especially at restaurants, but his enjoyment of good food and the nourishment it provided was far more important than appearances. Curiously, he never seemed to have trouble finishing a dish of chocolate ice cream! Perhaps this would present an interesting subject for research. Ken Aidekman ([log in to unmask])