Feed people with senile dementia

• April 25, 2024

Some people with dementia may to refuse the foods or refuse to eat enough to stay healthy. Therefore, it is important to keep in mind:

• Help him do enough exercise to whet your appetite
• Ask a to be loved of the patient who prepares and serves her food
• Reduce the distractions around of the food area, such as radio or television
• Do not give foods that are too hot or too cold not very sophisticated or elaborate
• If you have problems with the use of utensils, give the patient food for eat with your hand . It is important to try different foods. It is common for people with dementia to have a decrease in their senses of taste and smell, and this will affect the enjoyment of meals
• Prepare easy-to-eat, high-quality meals Nutritional value . For example, bananas contain a lot of energy concentrated in little matter, they do not stain and they are easy to chew. Soy milk cheese or tofu is a good food that provides easy proteins to ingest and the avocado offers very high quality vegetable fat
• Provide liquids that contain adequate nutrients. Vegetable juices, both vegetables and fruit, are a good way to avoid dehydration and to supply them vitamins and minerals . Avoid sugary industrial drinks or fruit nectars that, because of their high sugar content, only provide more thirst

In the late stages of dementia, the person may have problems chew or swallow . Talk to your doctor about an appropriate diet. At some point, it is likely that the patient needs a diet of only liquids or soft foods to prevent a drowning .

Unsuitable food

Experts point out that the foods and beverages that should be excluded from the diet of people with senile dementia are the stimulants (such as coffee, cola, or foods that contain caffeine because they excite the nervous system; sugary foods (In the same way, sweets, cakes or any type of food too rich in refined sugar produces an increase in blood sugar that can make these patients uneasy), and alcoholic drinks (In addition to being a strong depressant of the nervous system, alcohol reduces the capacity of neurons by decreasing nerve impulses between them, which worsens this disease).

Patients with senile dementia

People with senile dementia may have difficulty with the language and the communication , nutrition, memory and personal hygiene. According to the specialists of the National Institutes of Health of the United States, the problems related to food arise both because of their tendency to do without meals , caused by forgetfulness or by a loss of the senses of taste and smell, as by a growing difficulty in swallowing or ability to swallow food.

This type of patients, in addition to losing interest in food and water, have difficulty at control of the utensils so they are often unable to bring the food to the mouth .

Video Medicine: Caregiver Training: Refusal to Bathe | UCLA Alzheimer's and Dementia Care (April 2024).