I first noticed this a few weeks ago when I brought my Mom a pill. She still had yogurt on her tongue and hadn't been eating that for perhaps an hour. I don't think she has chewing problems or tooth pain. She's a lifelong multitasker, stands at the counter to eat while reading the newspaper or mail. Maybe I need to encourage her to sit down and focus on just eating. I sure appreciate any input.
Swallowing takes some thought, too, so I think that some elderly people, due to lace of feeling in their mouths or lack of awareness, just let food sit. They simply aren't comprehending that they should swallow. Offering a drink of water often can help, but of course swallowing problems can be tricky, so asking a specialist is a good idea. Sometimes liquids may need to be thickened.
Take care,
Carol
I noted my mom (Vascular Dementia/ 91) isn't eating as well. She takes large bites, chokes, then sneezes, then chokes again, and sneezes, and it goes on and on. I leave her alone to let her do her thing as long as she's not 'hurting'.
Brain function is huge in this area. I remember my MIL back in the late 80s/90s (year) couldn't swallow, so the nursing home got an ambulance to take her for a test to see why she couldn't swallow. Well, the test required (you guessed it!) swallowing! They couldn't do the test. I can't tell you how angry my now deceased FIL was). As it happened, she died less than a month later, a natural death which the brain induced by taking away her swallowing abilities.
The only thing I can suggest is you go in there with a clean towel or cloth and swipe out the food particles that may be on the side of her mouth. You have to do it quickly. Or, get her to use just water and if she can swish (which may also be hard for her if her brain has started to go) then that's good. If not, she may just swallow the water.
My mother always has water next to her. Now she can swallow pills if they aren't too big but I usually crush the smaller ones in a baggie with a hammer and throw them into her food. It's not the ideal way to give medication, but it's the only way at this point and at her age, does it really matter? Doctors have suggest as much.
We have to accept the fact that people in this age group with this set of problems are not going to live forever, and with the dementia/Alzheimer's diagnosis, even if the body is willing, do we, as adult caregivers (children mostly) want to see them suffer that way? Perhaps it's just time to give it a rest, do the best we can to keep them comfortable, and allow them to die the way nature intended.
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