Dementia often leads to numerous changes in older people, which often pose difficult problems for family caregivers. Eating and drinking can also be disturbed in dementia patients. Those affected then usually lose a lot of weight, which can have a negative effect on their general condition and health. There are numerous reasons why dementia patients develop eating and drinking disorders. Many stem from the impairment of daily living skills caused by the dementia disease. But age-related limitations of physical functions and side effects of medications can also lead to problems with eating.
It is important for the relatives to understand the causes and the behavior of the sick person. Often the refusal or denial is understood as if the dementia patients do not want to eat and drink, whereas it is predominantly due to the fact that they cannot. However, due to the dementia changes, it is often not possible for them to communicate the disorder or cause.
“I’ve already eaten”
Many older people with dementia lose the ability to perceive hunger and thirst. The body’s natural signals no longer control food intake. Although they have not eaten for some time, they claim to have already eaten. Only external stimuli can help here. A pleasant atmosphere in which the sick person feels comfortable and is not distracted by what is going on around them encourages them to eat. Company, being addressed while eating, and eating and drinking rituals cause the affected person to eat with more appetite.
Colorful and rich in contrast
Disturbances in vision and spatial perception often lead to the dementia patient not recognizing the food and drinks. Therefore, an attractively set, well-lit table with color contrasts has a positive effect on the meal. Bright colors and beautifully arranged food can arouse interest and perhaps evoke memories.
Prefer sweet and fatty
Restrictions in the sense of taste and smell are concomitants of aging. Therefore, when cooking for the elderly, seasoning should be strong. Dementia patients also often prefer very sweet and fatty foods, while sour and bitter foods are avoided. For some, the preference for sweet foods goes so far that spicy foods are rejected altogether.
In order to make the menu as varied as possible, it can be helpful to sweeten spicy dishes. Spaghetti Bolognese with sweet sauce and cheese bread with jam may sound very unusual to us, but the dementia patient may like it. When it comes to drinks, the choice also tends to fall on very sweet juices and lemonades. Sour drinks and mineral water are usually rejected. In addition to sweet foods, high-fat foods are also eaten with pleasure, probably because they have a more intense flavor. Butter, high-fat dairy products and cream sauces are particularly suitable for dementia patients who have already lost weight.
