As Alzheimer's disease enters its middle and advanced stages, eating a regular and nutritious diet can be a challenge. People may feel overwhelmed by too many food choices, forget to eat, or mistakenly think they've already eaten. Therefore, understanding how to maintain good nutrition is essential to protect the health of patients.
Here are some practical nutrition tips
Create a peaceful and comfortable dining environment
- Minimize distractions during meals and choose quiet places away from distracting objects such as televisions.
- Simplify table settings, avoid patterned cutlery and tablecloths that can cause confusion, and use color contrast to help distinguish food from plates.
- Make sure the food is at the right temperature to avoid burns, and check before each serving.
Encourage independent eating
- Adjust the utensils according to the patient's ability, such as using plates with edges or spoons with large handles, or even allow food to be grabbed by hand to simplify the process.
- Provide easy-to-grip finger foods such as chicken cuts, fish sticks, sandwich bites, citrus slices, steamed broccoli or cauliflower segments.
- Use the hand-assisted feeding method to demonstrate how to use utensils to put in your mouth.
Reduce dietary and nutritional problems
- Food should be easy to chew and swallow, and can be achieved by grinding, cutting into small pieces, or opting for soft foods.
- Watch for signs of choking, avoid foods that are difficult to chew thoroughly, make sure the person is seated upright with the head tilted slightly forward, check the mouth after a meal to make sure the food has been swallowed, and learn the Heimlich maneuver just in case.
Causes that may cause loss of appetite
- Inability to recognize food: People may no longer recognize the food in front of them.
- Discomfort with dentures: pain that interferes with eating, but patients may not be able to express it, and dentures need to be checked regularly.
- Medication side effects: New medications or dose adjustments may affect appetite, and if there are changes, consult your doctor promptly.
- Lack of exercise: Lack of activity can reduce appetite and encourage simple exercise such as walking, gardening, or washing dishes.
- Loss of taste and smell: Food may be undesirable because it doesn't taste as good as it used to be.
Stay hydrated
- Get plenty of fluids, either by offering small glasses of water or other liquids, or foods with high water content, such as fruits, soups, shakes and smoothies.
Dietary preferences and adaptations
- As the disease progresses, people may develop specific food preferences or reject past favorite foods, remain flexible and experiment with a variety of food options.
- Give plenty of time to eat, serving only one or two foods at a time, and repeating the same meal multiple times if necessary, e.g. serving breakfast items in separate meals.
summary
Good nutritional management is a key part of Alzheimer's care, helping to maintain good health and improving behavioral symptoms. By creating a safe and comfortable dining environment, encouraging a moderate level of independence, and being mindful of changes in individual needs and abilities, dietary challenges can be effectively addressed and quality of life can be maintained. At the same time, caregivers should pay close attention to the patient's eating habits and physical reactions, communicate with the medical team in a timely manner, and adjust the care strategy in a timely manner.