Eating Problems. My wife has just been diagnosed with Dementia ( moderate needs )

[Retired Cyclist]

She puts food into her mouth and does not wait until she clears her mouth before putting more food in . This sometimes results in her coughing and the food comes out. I have cut her food up into small pieces and use of a tea spoon for breakfast cereal which helps but does not solve. At tea time i usually remove her plate when i see that she has sufficient food in her mouth but this gets her angry and me frustated and i somtimes start to shout at her. We are waiting for a SALT assessment . Does anyone have any suggestions

 

[Bunpoots]

Welcome to the forum @Retired Cyclist

I imagine this may not be an easy one to solve. I wonder if putting the food in serving dishes on the table and then dishing out very small portions at a time to both of you might help. Then your wife may not notice that you’re trying to control her eating. Maybe use small plates as well as smaller cutlery?

I hope SALT will have some answers for you.

 

[steph122]

She puts food into her mouth and does not wait until she clears her mouth before putting more food in . This sometimes results in her coughing and the food comes out. I have cut her food up into small pieces and use of a tea spoon for breakfast cereal which helps but does not solve. At tea time i usually remove her plate when i see that she has sufficient food in her mouth but this gets her angry and me frustated and i somtimes start to shout at her. We are waiting for a SALT assessment . Does anyone have any suggestions

have you tried smaller portions of food on her plate and then offer more if required, change your plates to a smaller size then the portions do not look small. Look at food like stews, soups, jelly, custard, rice pudding, dunk biscuits in tea, coffee or chocolate. It is very important to ensure your wife clears the food in her mouth and does not swallow food because she could aspirate (food goes into the lungs instead of the stomach) which could result in pneumonia. Good luck with SALT assessment in my experience they are like rocking horse poo.

 

[Izzy]

Welcome to the forum @Retired Cyclist.

I must say that SALT here were extremely helpful with my husband - advice on eating/swallow/crockery etc.

There might be something of interest here-

Eating and drinking

People with dementia often experience problems with eating and drinking, but there are ways to help manage these.

www.alzheimers.org.uk

 

[Jools1402]

Would pureed food that is easy to swallow and doesn't have to be chewed help do you think? What about custard, yoghurts, thick (lump free) soups?