TABLE MATTERS: Effective feeding for dementia patients

Feeding and proper nutrition are oftentimes one of the most challenging aspects of in-home care for people with dementia.

“Proper nutrition is important to keep the body strong and healthy. For a person with Alzheimer’s or dementia, poor nutrition may increase behavioral symptoms and cause weight loss,” the Alzheimer’s Association writes in one of their posts about Food and Eating.[1]

Someone who has dementia—particularly those in the more advanced stages—might experience certain degrees of stress, which also results irregular feeding patterns.

Watch the video below to find out more:

As mentioned in one of our recent features, these irregular feeding patterns among elders receiving in-home care may be due to a side effect from a current medication, a continuing decline of cognitive functions, or depression.[2]

Here are some feeding strategies to help in-home caregivers manage feeding times a lot better.

Take out the distractions.

When feeding a dementia patient, make sure that the focus will solely be towards eating and getting proper nutrition.

Create a quiet environment by turning off the television or setting the newspaper aside. You may opt to serve meals while playing soothing music instead.

Learn to negotiate.

Avoid stressful situations by learning how to bargain when feeding a dementia patient. Encourage them to eat by, say for example, offering them their favorite food. You may opt to have another set as a backup in case they refuse.

If they say no, don’t take it personally. Never threaten them or say anything harsh. Just try and bargain again until they give in.

Keep it simple.

A variety of colors may be distracting and confusing when feeding dementia patients. Make sure that there are no other items on the table (like flowers, table toppers, or fruits among others) that will distract them from the food in front of them.

Go for white plates, bowls, and simple mats. Anything outside of these things, consider it unnecessary.

Be flexible.

Try something sweet.

Yes, you read that right. In fact, some experts actually recommend adding sweets in small amounts when feeding dementia patients.

At first, it’s shocking for people to hear that. But it makes sense. A lot of evidence is coming out about how the brain reacts to sugar. Even when our brains change with dementia, we still like sweetness,” says Dr. Melissa Batchelor-Murphy, RN, PhD, an associate professor at Duke University. [3]

“In my opinion, it’s better to put sugar on somebody’s meatloaf so they will eat real food, instead of giving them supplements and snacks. It’s not like we need to add pounds of sugar. Just sprinkle it on there,” she adds.

You may also try including a bit of dark chocolate during in-home care mealtimes. As mentioned in our article “5 of the best food items for dementia patients,” [4] dark chocolate is rich in a kind of antioxidant that helps maintain healthy blood flow to the brain. Just reuser to offer this in small amounts to avoid any future complications.

That’s it, we hope these items can offer you some help in caring for people suffering with dementia. Our lines are open to exchange ideas with you and plan the best possible course of care for your loved ones. Send us a message or call our hotlines posted in this website, and we’ll be very delighted to talk to you soon.

References:

[1] https://www.alz.org/help-support/caregiving/daily-care/food-eating
[2] https://geriatriccaresolution.com/best-food-for-dementia-patients/
[1] https://www.caringfortheages.com/article/S1526-4114(18)30003-9/fulltext
[4] https://geriatriccaresolution.com/best-food-for-dementia-patients/

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The Importance of Geriatric Care

TABLE MATTERS: Effective feeding for dementia patients