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Lesson 2. Eating, drinking and preventing health problems

Help the person you care for to eat safely and prevent aspiration pneumonia

Help the person you care for to eat safely and prevent aspiration pneumonia

People with dementia may experience the problems listed below.
  • People with dementia may not be able to judge what can or cannot be eaten. They may eat inedible materials that are within reach when feeling  hungry. Make sure to keep inedible materials and chemicals in safe places.

  • If the person is in the late stages of dementia, they may experience swallowing difficulties that can cause a lung infection called aspiration pneumonia. Aspiration pneumonia occurs when food is swallowed in the wrong way and goes into the person’s lungs instead of their stomach. This can then cause an infection. Eating, drinking and feeding methods may need to be modified to prevent this life-threatening problem.

Inedible materials


Yousuf  has been living with dementia for 10 years and is cared for by his wife, Sara. Sara starts to observe her husband closely during the day. Recently, Sara notices that the soaps she put in the kitchen and bathroom have disappeared. She also notices that her husband is eating the flowers that she puts on the dining table. She sees Yousuf go to the kitchen and mistakenly pick up a soy sauce bottle and even a bottle of dishwashing detergent to drink.
2. Check your understanding
Inedible materials.

What do you think Sara should do?
Please select all the responses that you feel are appropriate.


Helping a person to eat safely  


Wafa has been living with dementia for 10 years and is bedridden. Her husband, Tamim, helps her to eat safely. Recently, he found Wafa has difficulty swallowing soft foods that he makes for her. He also notices that she coughs when she drinks something. She seems to have a high temperature and is admitted to the hospital.

Wafa is diagnosed with aspiration pneumonia. After a month of treatment in the hospital, Wafa has recovered and is discharged home. The doctor orders a healthy, soft diet and thickened drinks for Wafa to consume at home to prevent future aspiration pneumonia.
3. Check your understanding
Helping a person to eat safely.

What do you think Tamim should do?
Please select all the responses that you feel are appropriate.


Tip

  • A healthy soft diet can be made by hand without using an electric blender. Thickened fluids can be made by adding corn flour to water or other fluids while heating and stirring it, until it thickens.

    • Note: commercial stir-in thickeners are available in the supermarket in many countries.

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