One of the hardest parts of taking care of a senior parent with Alzheimer’s is making sure that they get enough to eat. Weight loss and malnutrition are very common among seniors who have Alzheimer’s or Lewy Body Dementia, especially as the disease progresses.
Trying to make sure that your senior parent is eating enough can be frustrating for family caregivers. It’s tough sometimes to make your senior parent understand why they need to eat when they may not even feel hungry.
Seniors with Alzheimer’s stop eating or don’t eat enough for a wide variety of reasons. But all of those reasons are related to how the disease impacts the brain. Some of the reasons why seniors with Alzheimer’s don’t eat are:
They Don’t Remember How
Your senior parent may not remember how to use utensils, drink from a glass, or even how to eat. Depending on what stage of the disease they are in they may need prompts from you to remember how to eat. You can eat meals with them to demonstrate how to use utensils and encourage them to eat more.
Difficulty Recognizing Food
Your senior parent may not recognize the foods that are on the plate or even realize that they are food. Even if you put their favorite foods in front of them they may not know what those foods are. Taking a bite yourself is a good way to show them what they are supposed to do with the food.
Challenges with Chewing and Swallowing
If your senior parent is having trouble using the muscles that control chewing and swallowing eating may be uncomfortable or difficult for them. Speech therapy may be able to help them strengthen those muscles.
Side Effects from Medication
Seniors who have Alzheimer’s tend to be on several heavy-duty medications. The side effects from those medications may make seniors not feel hungry or even feel slightly sick most of the time. If your senior parent is nauseous, they probably don’t want to eat, although they might not be able to tell you that they feel nauseous.
Not Knowing They Are Hungry
One of the effects that Alzheimer’s has on the brain is taking away a senior’s ability to recognize their own body’s physical cues. Often seniors with Alzheimer’s don’t know when they are tired, hungry, thirsty, or when they need to use the bathroom. A good way to manage this is to make sure that all meals are served at the same time every day.
Having a mealtime routine makes it more likely your senior parent will eat because even if they don’t know they are hungry they will know that certain times of the day are when they eat.
How Alzheimer’s Home Care Can Help
Alzheimer’s home care is specialized care provided by trained caregivers in your senior parent’s home. The caregivers that provide Alzheimer’s home care have additional education and experience so they understand the unique challenges that seniors with Alzheimer’s have.
Alzheimer’s home care is available full-time, or on-demand as respite care if you need a break, have an emergency and need some time off, or you just need some extra support taking care of your senior parent.
If you or an aging loved one are considering Alzheimer’s Home Care in Carrollton, TX, please contact the caring staff at Clear Path Home Care today at (817) 928-5788
Clear Path Home Care provides compassionate, high-quality home care in Denton County, Montague County, Cooke County, Grayson County, Fannin County, Lamar County, Wise County, Collin County, Hunt County, Delta County, and Hopkins County in Texas.
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