Eating
- Thread starter sunlover
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Foods that he can eat with spoon, easy scoop foods (mash, cottage pie etc).
Do you think there's a physical reason? As in he can't use the knife and fork, can't cut foods, can't scoop peas, etc?
Do you think there's a physical reason? As in he can't use the knife and fork, can't cut foods, can't scoop peas, etc?
Hi sunflower, my hubby is now having difficulty eating also, this has started the last 3 months or so. He can't seem to be able to cut his food and sometimes makes a mess when eating, drops it down his clothes or on table, or seems a real effort for him to eat a meal. I'm not allowed to talk to him while hes eating as he says he can't concentrate on eating and talking, so it's a very quiet meal time, I put the radio on a music channel.
Try foods that dont need cutting. OH cannot use a knife and fork due to motor skills, so I give him things like spag boll, cottage pie, hotpot, meat cut into cubes before cooking, stir-fry with rice. If we have a roast melt I cut the potatoes and other veg into bite sized pieces before I cook them and cut the meat before putting it on his plate. Mostly he just uses a fork to eat. If eating becomes harder for him I will probably try a spoon. You can get dinner plates that have more of a lip round the edge and OH finds this easier and it stops the food falling off the edge. Try using an old fashioned napkin or tea towel and tuck it into his neckline to protect his clothes. You could try an adult bib, of course, but I hate them.
Hi.Dad cannot cut his food either.I always cook it soft and bite sized.(So he doesn’t choke as sometimes he will “shovel it in”)His eyesight has decreased as well.So,he has a red mug(plastic) which is easier for him to see and pick up .(Red is recommended for dementia) He also has a plastic plate with a raised lip and a sticky sucker base which helps the plate to remain where it is..As dad likes to be clean ,he also has a paper “bib” with a pocket at the base to collect food.This is disposable and goes in the yellow bag for incineration along with the pads..Ideal.I hope this helps.
Thankyou canary and TNJJ they are some good tips to try especially the one about plate with a lip round the edge,I will look for one of them, and cooking the potatoes small before you cost them, when I cut his up as I'm dishing dinner up he always says don't cut my food up I'm not a baby so if there done before then mine will be the same as his. and he wont notice. But ALL his motor skills are going his walking has got far far worse the last couple weeks, it's scary to watch him and that's with a frame.
He seems to be deteriorating a bit every day. He is housebound now as wouldn't be able to walk any distance outside, but he does have his day centre 2 days a week which is brilliant for him.
Dad has a gutter frame to enable him to walk.But he has to have someone with him at all times,otherwise he will collapse.I usually follow him with the wheel chair,as he normally falls backwards......Dad loves saute potatoes,so after boiling them and cutting them up,they look the same.So,he is not a "baby"
.Dad has difficulty with the tv remote.Picking it up and getting a tv channel.(Finger stays in the remote ,for what seems forever) whilst he picks a channel...Phones,forget totally..You can find the plate and mug on ebay..Apparently,red is the last colour to pick up for dementia,so maybe that's why it easier for them..
.Dad has difficulty with the tv remote.Picking it up and getting a tv channel.(Finger stays in the remote ,for what seems forever) whilst he picks a channel...Phones,forget totally..You can find the plate and mug on ebay..Apparently,red is the last colour to pick up for dementia,so maybe that's why it easier for them..So what's a gutter frame TNJJ hubby has just a normal frame with 2 wheels on the front, but he drags it along the floor so the back of it makes an awful noise, yes my hubby is nightmare with remote takes him for ever to find what channel hes looking for then he will press wrong g button and muck the TV up so I have to reset it, and yes landline phone is a definiteDad has a gutter frame to enable him to walk.But he has to have someone with him at all times,otherwise he will collapse.I usually follow him with the wheel chair,as he normally falls backwards......Dad loves saute potatoes,so after boiling them and cutting them up,they look the same.So,he is not a "baby"
No No, he used to love his sports on tv but doesn't know how to get them up on tv now., this has all happend so quickly the last 6 months. This morning he forgot how to use the toaster.
There is not a lot he can do now, hes got vascular dementia diagnosed just over 3 yrs ago
Hi.A gutter frame has 4 wheels with 2handles that go upwards to the ceiling.Person can grip them.Mainly,for people with a stroke .Dad has vascular dementia diagnosed end of 2015 ,alongside several strokes.The latest Xmas 2017....I moved dad's toaster as dad cannot walk to use it(only 8 steps with the frame before we need the wheelchair)..Plus,as he is on a soft diet.I have removed it for health and safety.The carers give him toast ,even though he is a soft diet.Dad has "capacIty" .He says yes,but does not have the capability to understand he will choke..Another saga..
Thankyou TNJJ, I might ask about that frame, sounds like it would be easier than the one hubby is using, although his I'd a smaller version of the one he used when on respite in care home , so he could get about the house with it so will ask if they do a narrow version of gutter frame. Thankyou for your reply, take care, and be good to YOURSELF as well as your Dad.
I took my mums frame away from her, the hospital physio was adament she was to use it yet she was perfect mobile.
She couldn't get the hang of it at all and carried it around like a basket. From her lounge to her bathroom it didn't touch the floor once, so if she was to stumble she wouldn't have any hands free to steady herself and could have made a landing even more hazardous.
OH's carer suggested a gutter frame for him the other day, tho' I didn't know the name until now. I shall inquire about one. Thanks.
She couldn't get the hang of it at all and carried it around like a basket. From her lounge to her bathroom it didn't touch the floor once, so if she was to stumble she wouldn't have any hands free to steady herself and could have made a landing even more hazardous.
OH's carer suggested a gutter frame for him the other day, tho' I didn't know the name until now. I shall inquire about one. Thanks.
Re. plates with a lip - you can purchase guards to fit any plate that you already have.
I used them for my husband and found them really useful - and hubby appreciated them too. They are easy to clip on, remove and clean. They were also small enough to pop into my bag to take out with us when we went out for lunch at our regular memory cafes or to family and friends.
An example of the different kinds available can be found at https://www.completecareshop.co.uk/eating-aids/plate-surrounds-and-guards/
I just used a basic white one but I notice they do invisible ones now too. My husband didn't try to tamper with his plate guard or get annoyed with it - but the invisible ones might have been the answer if he had.
I used them for my husband and found them really useful - and hubby appreciated them too. They are easy to clip on, remove and clean. They were also small enough to pop into my bag to take out with us when we went out for lunch at our regular memory cafes or to family and friends.
An example of the different kinds available can be found at https://www.completecareshop.co.uk/eating-aids/plate-surrounds-and-guards/
I just used a basic white one but I notice they do invisible ones now too. My husband didn't try to tamper with his plate guard or get annoyed with it - but the invisible ones might have been the answer if he had.
They sound like there just what I need for him thanks for that LynneMcV will go on that website. Take care and look after YOURSELF.
Ooh, I didnt know about that. Thanks for the tip and the link.OH refuses to use plastic "baby" plates
Yes, my husband would not have accepted the lipped, plastic plates for his dinners either - he had enough awareness at that time to consider them as being babyish.
Having said that, I did buy a couple of red ones from the Dignity range, which had a suction ring on the base to hold them securely in place on the table or tray. We found those were ideal for things like ice cream, custard, jelly - and he didn't seem to mind using them in that context - but definitely not for his main dinners.
It might have helped that I used the same for my own desserts - so that he didn't feel he was being treated differently.
