Eating and Drinking in Dementia: Tips to Improve Nutrition
People suffering from dementia often face eating and drinking challenges. In this article, we share valuable nutrition tips for caregivers, nurses and nutrition assistants to help deal with these challenges.
How Do You Present a Meal?
Research has shown that color contrast can have a significant impact on the eating and drinking habits of people with dementia. For example, clients have been found to drink more from a red glass than from a regular glass. The use of red and blue plates can also stimulate appetite. However, be careful that the color and decoration do not become too overwhelming, as this can cause unnecessary distractions. For example, some clients may try to pick up flowers from a decorated tablecloth and forget to eat as a result.
Other Tips to Encourage Eating and Drinking
- Provide varied menus, but avoid alcohol.
- Keep the table and surroundings quiet (avoid distracting objects on the table).
- Experiment with stronger flavors.
- Set a fixed seat at the table to promote a routine.
- Encourage eating and drinking through activities.
Activities to Encourage Eating and Drinking.
In daily activities, there may be several opportunities to stimulate conversation about food. For example, discuss the menu and encourage clients to reminisce about foods of the past. Cooking together with clients can also help bring back positive memories.
Other Ways to Activate Clients.
- Cooking together with clients can promote reminiscing about days gone by.
- Stimulate the senses by stimulating tastes, smells and images. For example, old advertisements of products from one's childhood can stimulate conversations and stories.
What More Can You Do?
- Involve family members in the feeding process, as they often know best what a client likes to eat and what foods trigger memories.
- Consult specialists such as speech therapists, dieticians and occupational therapists to address specific eating and drinking problems and improve overall health.
Reduced Appetite
People with dementia often experience decreased appetite, sometimes due to fatigue or side effects of medications. Understanding these challenges and providing appropriate support is critical.
