My dad has been suffering with Alzheimer’s disease for the last 3 years. His memory has always been the biggest worry for us, however, the doctors are now worried he is losing weight and might not be eating properly. The woman at the nursing home say that they are doing all they can but that he seems to have lost interest in eating. Is this common in dementia and is there anything else we can do to help him?
Impaired reasoning:
Can cause people with dementia to eat too fast, to over eating or cause confusion e.g. about how they are paying for the meal.
Advice: keep a food diary, cut food up into small pieces and explain where the food has come from at each meal.
Poor memory:
Can cause patients to forget what they are doing and get up and walk away from a meal. This can lead carers to assume that they do not want to eat.
Advice: have someone sit with them during meal times to regularly prompt them to eat their food.
Spatial/perceptual problems:
Can cause them to miss half of the food on their plate, not be able to see utensils and knock their food or drink over.
Advice: Make sure a fork is given to the person at the start of a meal and rotate their plate regularly while eating
Agitated behaviour:
A busy dining area can cause someone with dementia to become stressed and thus to not be able to focus on their food.
Advice: create a calmer environment; decrease distractions by eating away from others or play quiet music.
Medication:
Can make patients very drowsy. They may sleep through mealtimes or even forget that food is in their mouth while eating.
Advice: keep a record of when they are most alert/tired and plan mealtimes accordingly.
