Help with eating.

[currywurst]

Hello everyone

I am new to the site and wondering if any one had any advice on feeding.

I am spending at least an hour feeding mum breakfast, and an hour and a half each for lunch and dinner. Mum's dinner for instance is only a large childs portion yet it takes an hour and a half to feed her. Maybe this is normal, but 4 hours a day just on feeding does seem rather a lot. The main reason for my concern is that I am hoping to get some respite care soon, but I am so worried that mum won't have enough to eat as I'm sure the care staff aren't able to dedicate this much time to feeding, or are they? We live just outside the area where my family live so respite could be an hour or more away, so I am even considering paying for respite in my families area just so my sister can go and feed every night.

Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[Amy]

Hiya,

We found that when mum went to daycare and respite they gave her a soft diet, supposedly to avoid the risk of choking, it does make the eating quicker as well though. You may well find that wherever your mum goes for respite they do the same. Also the soft diet helps prevent food being pouched in the cheeks.

Talk to the manager at the care home, and express your concerns, see what they say.

Best wishes
Amy

 

[Bets]

Hi Currywurst,

It might be helpful to ask for a speech and language therapist to assess your mother's swallowing ability as any weakness or difficulty would result in very slow mealtimes. She can also advise on feeding techniques and food consistencies that might help.

You do not need to go through your mother's GP for a referral, you can refer your mother directly to the SLT. Phone your mother's local primary health care trust for a name and contact number.

Bets

 

[Lila13]

Does she have physical reasons for eating so slowly?

It is just possible that if she's in a place with others eating around her she'll eat more normally.

I remember one day when breakfast took 3 hours. What a relief that we got through that stage!