Best Sippy Cup: Drinking with Ease, Dignity, and Dementia

My dad got Parkinson’s. Then he got Parkinson’s Disease Dementia (PDD). Now me and him try to party with our sippies every day.

Caregiving day after day gets boring, so we like to keep it fresh with new bubbly beverage delights - usually cold, sometimes hot.

He needs some help mixing his sips, and that’s one sugar-free spritzer coming up! Coke Zero Vanilla with ice today sir? If we ever do use regular glass cups with my dad, it’s under light supervision and served with ice and an elder-friendly reusable straw.

Most days, most of the day, we use two different spill-proof sippy cups with my dad: the Munchkin and the Contigo.

Special challenges sipping with dementia

The rollercoaster fun of my dad’s form is - you never know which will be the bigger problem on the day: cognitive or motor. Dementia’s wonky reality changes typically couple with motor challenges from other aging related diseases. Not only is my dad having cognitive trouble problem-solving how to wet his whistle, he’s also got those neurodegenerative motor challenges.

As drinking challenges become progressively worse, they also become more specific. A simple toddler sippy cup works great for my dad now, but some years from now, he’ll likely need a more advanced drinking system designed specifically for the elderly and disabled, like a dysphagia cup or flow-control convalescent cup.

When it comes to the day if he can no longer chew or swallow solids, I will puree a Wendy’s Single just for my dad.

Why it’s the caregiver who buys the first sippy

Different stages of dementia will deliver different drinking dilemmas a sippy cup might solve. An adult usually starts with a sippy in during their night-time routine, typically as a consequence of spilling bev in bed. The caregiver implements a measure to prevent extra work for themselves, like washing Diet Coke soaked sheets in the morning.

It is almost never the sippy cup owner’s choice to begin using a sippy cup. It’s the caregiver who makes the new house rule. And it happens like that.

Beyond the bed, my dad spilled while sitting in his chair. Now he’s only allowed to drink from a sippy cup while sitting in his chair. He spends 75% of daytime hours in his chair now.

Dementia-friendly sippy cup considerations

The premise of a sippy cup is to prevent spills by controlling the flow of liquid in special ways. Spill-proof then goes without saying. Lids, caps, lips, straws, tubes, and funnels are the make-or-break feature, because the person with dementia must be both willing and able to drink from it.

Materials range from plastic to silicone and metal. Most sippy cups aren’t designed for hot water, so don’t make tea or heat wash unless the product package clearly says “Safe For Sipping Hot Liquids”.

Assistive sippy cups for the elderly commonly come with two-sided mug-style handles. We never buy handled cups for my dad. With his rigid-style Parkinson’s handle-less is the best option. That’s just to demonstrate, you need to pick out sippy cup features on a case-by-case basis.

Best Sippy Cup for Dementia

My dad drinks with dignity using his Munchkin and Contigo, but just just because we’ve determined the Munchin is the best sippy for my dad (who’s got Parkinson’s and dementia), his needs might change, and the person with dementia in your family has his or her own needs.

Providence Spillproof Container (Sippy)

Available on Amazon

• Pro: Especially designed for the disabled and elderly
• Pro: Reasonable costs economical two-packs (because you always need two of the best sippy cup for your circumstances, one for use, one for the wash)
• Con: Their most popular models all have handles, which could become an obstacle more than a help for stiff people like my dad. I see some of their handles have open ends, which might allow my dad to slip his hand in and out.

Rehabilitation Advantage (Mug)

Available on Amazon

• Pro: Best selection of assistive mugs working for both hot and cold beverages, and keeping the perfect temperature for a long time. Fresh brewed coffee and iced cola both make my dad an extra happy camper. These too are designed specifically for the elderly.
• Pro: Wide-base cup design adds stability for shaky hands and makes it comfortable to grip with one or two hands.
• Con: Poor color selection, but to be fair most assistive devices come in tacky colors don’t they?

Munchkin Miracle Stainless (360-Degree Sippy)

Available on Amazon

• Pro: 360 degree sippy design means lips can access sweet refreshment from any angle. You don’t have to position the cup with the straw or mouth opening nearest to your lips.
• Pro: Available in plastic or metal versions.
• Con: While the sippy lid is really easy for my dad to sip from, it requires him to tilt his head with the cup above his head, which is more difficult to do with motor challenges.
• Con: Some elderly will be too proud to use a sippy cup. Most elderly will be too proud to call it a sippy cup. So I don’t talk to my dad about the brand name. He doesn’t have to know it’s called Munchkin and also designed for Munchkins with toddler-limited ability to drink from.

Contigo Kids Water Bottle Stainless (Spout or Straw)

Available on Amazon

• Pro: The spill-proof swivel cap has a flip-top AUTOSPOUT technology that means my dad can drink with his head from any angle.
• Pro: Also available in plastic or metal versions.
• Con: Get’s especially bubbly when you pour Diet Coke inside. I have to wait before I dunk the straw in because it’ll displace the other liquids and cause the bubbles to overflow. Of course this is all before I fasten the cap and serve the bottle to my dad. Carbonated beverages overflow easily when pouring.

Providence Spillproof Container (Nosey Cup)

Available on Amazon

• Pro: Designed for people with dysphagia, who have trouble swallowing or tilting their heads. It’s got an notched side that faces away while the person is drinking, which allows you to tilt the glass at an ever higher angle without the mouth of the cup hitting your forehead like a SOLO cup chugger.
• Pro: Very low cost and comes in multi-packs with different sizes
• Con: Not spill proof. By the time someone needs a nosey cup, many late-stage and bedridden dementia patients will require assistance from their caregiver to take the drink using a nosey cup.