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• Proper nutrition more important than ever
Note: This article has been localised for an Irish audience. You may feel unsettled when your mother cannot cook her favourite recipe. Then again, who hasn't confused tablespoons with teaspoons a few times? But soon she starts forgetting to turn off the cooker rings and it becomes a pattern. She puts salt in her coffee repeatedly. And one day, she no longer remembers to eat. When Alzheimer's disease begins taking over the brain, even the most basic instincts aren't safe. Proper nutrition more important than ever Confusion and forgetfulness about food are particularly troubling aspects of Alzheimer's disease and they often mark the end of a person's independence. When a person has trouble preparing food - or even recognising it - it's time for a carer to step in. Proper nutrition is more important than ever and Alzheimer's patients can't get it on their own. But your loved one needs more than just a cook. As the disease progresses, it will take an ever-growing supply of compassion and ingenuity to keep her well fed. Weight loss is one of the primary symptoms of seriousness of Alzheimer's disease. Families should weigh their loved ones regularly and doctors should do likewise. When a person with dementia starts to lose weight, it's a sign that he or she is not coping well with the disease. Your first and foremost challenge will be overcoming the tricks Alzheimer's plays with appetite. A person can literally forget to be hungry, or, alternatively, she may forget eating lunch 15 minutes ago and may want to have the meal again. For this reason, it's very important to set up a regular meal time and stick to it. If she wants to eat right after a meal, put out a plate of small snacks such as cheese cubes or a sliced banana. When preparing and serving food, remember that people with Alzheimer's do best when making simple choices in a calm environment. Try serving foods that the person has always liked and don't put too many different items on the plate at once. You may even need to serve each food separately. To help her stay focused on the meal, turn off the television and keep conversation to a minimum. You'll need to make extra adjustments when her co-ordination fades. Try serving finger foods and forget about avoiding spills. Instead of insisting on neatness, give her an apron and put a plastic table cloth on the table. Consider getting plates with suction cups and non-spill glasses. Even as the messes grow, it's important to let her feed herself as much as possible. As the disease progresses, people with Alzheimer's may start eating inappropriate things. As long as the person with Alzheimer's is still eating, mealtime will continue to pose new challenges. Here are some more tips for helping her get the nourishment she needs: • If she has trouble swallowing, serve soft foods or cut food into small pieces. If the problem persists, have her examined by a doctor. |
| •Make sure she drinks plenty of non alcoholic, non caffeinated liquids. |
| •If a person has dentures, check to make sure they fit correctly. |
| •Don't serve food or drinks that are too hot. |
| •If a person doesn't seem to be eating enough or refuses to eat a variety of foods, ask a doctor about nutritional supplements. |
In the final stages of Alzheimer's, you or a carer will probably need to feed your loved one. Even with this assistance, she may begin to have trouble swallowing. Ask your doctor about thickeners you can add to water to make it much easier to swallow; drinking through a straw or using a plastic beaker with two handles will also help prevent choking. But eventually she may become completely incapable of eating a meal, no matter how much help and encouragement you provide. At this point, you face a very difficult decision. Do you have a feeding tube placed into her stomach, or do you let her live out her life without outside intervention? Feeding tubes are often painful and irritating, limit mobility, and are a source of infections; they're also associated with aspiration pneumonia. Even gastrostomy tubes (which pass through the stomach rather than the throat) are beset by technical problems. Feeding tubes often stop working because they clog, get infected, or are pulled out – sometimes resulting in trips to casualty in the middle of the night. Sometimes carers ask for a short-term trial, with an agreement to pull the tube out after two weeks if it seems to cause pain and discomfort. A tube may extend a person's life and possibly delay a move to a nursing home, but only you – with the help of a physician – can decide what's right. Many carers and doctors feel it is equally compassionate, if not more so, to let a loved one, aided by painkillers if necessary, live out his or her remaining life without tubes and outside interventions.
Useful Resources Alzheimer Society of Ireland Alzheimer House 43 Northumberland Road Dun Laoghaire Co Dublin Telephone 01 284 6616 Fax 01 284 6030 Alzheimer National Helpline 1800 341341 www. alzheimer.ie West of Ireland Alzheimer Foundation Main Street Ballindine Co Mayo Telephone 094 936 4900 Fax 094 936 4946 www.westernalzheimer.ie Alzheimer Support Group / Dementia Support Group Highfield Hospital Group Swords Road Whitehall Dublin 9 Telephone 01 837 4444 Fax 01 837 9013 www.highfieldhospital.com This article has been revised by Vhihealthe for its audience and may contain, among other things, information or medical practices that are unique to Ireland. Neither Consumer Health Interactive nor the original author make any warranty as to the accuracy of the article as revised, and assume no responsibility for modified content.
First published May 18, 2004
Last updated February 14, 2007
Copyright © 2004 Consumer Health Interactive
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