New horizons in cooking and mealtime interventions for mild cognitive impairment and early dementia: a scoping review.

BACKGROUND

Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRDs) are increasingly common conditions that are highly disruptive to individuals and families. ADRDs impact cognition and can undermine a person's ability to participate in cooking, preparing meals, and engaging in conversations. Mealtime participation implicates key determinants of adequate nutritional intake and social connectedness. However, engaging in mealtime routines amid challenges can also exacerbate the stress and burden felt by family caregivers. Behavioral interventions can mitigate these downstream impacts, though they are currently underdeveloped.

OBJECTIVE

To summarize the literature on cooking and mealtime interventions for community-dwelling people with dementia and their caregivers.

DESIGN

Scoping review.

METHODS

We searched databases up to May 2025 for English-language publications that described qualitative and quantitative research surrounding interventions focused on cooking and mealtime interventions for individuals living with subjective cognitive decline, mild cognitive impairment, and ADRDs. At least two reviewers independently identified publications and extracted population characteristics, intervention components, and intervention outcomes. Included articles were published between 2007-2024.

RESULTS

Qualitative and mixed methods studies (n=12) highlighted potential mechanisms for intervention, including cultivating routines for mealtimes (e.g., eating together, minimizing distractions, adaptive tools) and caregiver coping skills and training (e.g., distress tolerance, communication to emphasize respect/dignity, and social routines). Intervention studies (n=10) included caregiver skills training, education and cognitive rehabilitation-integrated cooking. Interventions were generally feasible; however, few were evaluated in randomized trials, and none underwent efficacy testing.

CONCLUSION

Cooking and mealtime interventions hold promise for addressing determinants of aging in ADRDs, though further randomized controlled efficacy trials are needed.