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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.

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My mother has been doing somewhat of the same. For her, its about swallowing... she's been chewing her pills vs swallowing. I've tried mixing... didn't work. What has been working is a designated place to eat, not just her TV tray.... simple things with dementia patients are not as simple for us.
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I've had the same problem and have noticed it with many other seniors with dementia, at the nursing homes, and others. They don't realize it. Does she wear dentures? If so, then remind her that after she eats she needs to rinse off her dentures and rinse out her mouth for maintenance of healthy gums. If she doesn't wear dentures , explain to her that leaving any food in her mouth after eating hurts her gums and breath, you want her to stay healthy, so please rinse out her mouth with plain water after she is done eating. Explaining with compassion but full honesty is important. Things that are tougher will come along and it is important to gently make it clear now.
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You might want to have her evaluated by a speech therapist to rule out a swallowing problem. We were advised to give Mom a Tootsie-Pop after meals to finish up the swallowing process. The therapist said to use only this brand because the others come off the stick. Also, I have to remind Mom to suck on it rather than chew which would be hard on her 90-year-old teeth (the rest of her is 96). Good luck.
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My husband no longer understands the concept of rinsing out your mouth so I got a water pic (water flosser). I use it on low and rinse all around his gum line after he eats a meal. So far it has been helpful.
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I also had the problem with my mom chewing her pills instead of swelling but my mom could not feed herself at this point. We cut the larger pills in half and feed her slowly to make sure she was swallowing. Our doctor set us up with a speech therapist who came and evaluated mom and had some good advice about how we could tell if mom was actually swelling the food that was in her mouth.
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When taking pills they crush my Dad's and put it in applesauce or pudding makes it easier
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I would be careful with making sure the pills can be crushed and consult with your Dr because there are certain pills that can be deadly if they are crushed and others are fine to be crushed.
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My mom would chew her pills - even those that were time-release coated. The doctor finally prescribed liquids that helped.

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
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This process is called pocketing food. Lot's of info available if you do a search on that phrase. Near the end, I had to (literally) reach into my Mom's mouth and withdraw the food. BUT 'dmasty' it doesn't sound like your Mom is anywhere near that.
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Yes, pocketing. Please have it assessed as that's what my Mom did before she lost her swallow reflex. She ultimately regained it, but it was a long process.
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My Mom, 92, had the swallowing eval over 2 years ago, the speech therapist aided and taught her the process (chew, run tongue around your mouth, sip, swallow) but all this is lost on her due to mini stroke, past seizures, and worsening dementia. She is aware enough to refuse pureed food and therefore they must abide by her wishes and give her soft food, which she cannot even bring to her mouth. If I or anyone else feeds her, she pockets it. Yesterday, the speech therapist ordered one-on-one feeding, alternating small bites, sips from a spoon, swallow....the place is so understaffed that in the past (I have seen it myself) they "rush" these poor souls and therefore many of them refuse food. I will "pop in" unannounced for the next few weeks at various mealtimes to witness what is happening. Mom basically lives off of nectar and an occasional piece of chocolate, and only 1-2 bites from each meal, if someone can feed her. I have also dropped in to find her chin on her chest, labored breathing, and food all over her "bib". No one has time for these poor people and I cannot be there every minute. Tried that before and wore myself down physically and mentally. No one else in the family nearby to help and those who are, say they cannot do those sort of things and see "those people" the way they are....some excuse! Hope I have given you some ideas along this "rant"...sorry. Hope the speech therapist can help.
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I haven't seen that in my father and but I did notice this in one of my husbands children when they were little, they would store the food in and around their gums for hours and the parents did nothing....result = lost teeth as got older cause they rotted......now he don't even wear dentures and he is 33.........so keeping track is a good idea so health issues don't arise.
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Your mother's having difficulty swallowing due to the autonomic response her brain signals are not giving her. With dementia all systems will slow until they stop altogether. Just clean out her mouth after you think she has finished eating. If you want to verify she "really" reads the newspaper, ask her what she just read. Dementia patients read and re-read over and over because they cannot remember what they just read and think they have not read a section before. Standing up to eat is good, it aids in digestion. It is not something you can control. Best wishes to your mother and you.
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My mother was found to be pocketing her food while in rehab after breaking her hip. The solution was to feed her pureed food. The most disgusting stuff you'd ever imagine. I think the thought process there was that if she spent less time chewing the food there would be more time for her to think about swallowing. It seemed to work.

I came into see her at dinner time and she was having a hotdog & bun w/mustard & sauerkraut all pureed together. But she was loving it! :-) After getting back home she went back to normal eating and normal food.
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When my husband started doing that, I started to puree all his food, which has pretty much solved the problem. Once in a great while, I have to get food out of his mouth if he's too tired to swallow, but it works.
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Yes it is common for them to forget to swallow so if something lingers beyond the initial bite...it will sit. For lack of a better way for me to paraphrase
Moms home health taught us it is normal and expected and to go with mashed diet as to not have anything chunky to linger...soups potatoes applesauce yogurt, blended meats etc.... and protein suppliements....NESTLE BENEPROTEIN is good flavorless can go in anything
lentil soup and cottage cheese would end up spit everywhere!

hang in there, you will find what works for you!
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Yes please get her evaluated. When I was a nurse aid we put on gloves and do a finger swipe but it sounds like at this stage just asking your mom to open her mouth may be ok....also finishing a meal with a cup of tea, water any thin liquid will help. I get my mom to use mouth wash after each meal and it seems to work well in removing any leftover particles. Since I have no idea what I'm doing LOL, I got her home health RN to tell her that doing this will improve her health by removing bacteria and it worked.
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AnOnlyChild, try to visit your mother only during meals, and feed her yourself, instead of another time., This way you can keep track of how much shes eating, and keep on top of things.
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Does she have dementia? How old is she?

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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Try putting a glass of water on the table and suggest she take a sip every time she swallows a bit of food. That may keep food from accumulating in her mouth.
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This is so frustrating to read all of you writing in, I had no idea there were so many with this problem. It's sad there arent enough caregivers to stay on top of their patients mouth cleanliness. So important to overall health for them to eat, and have a clean mouth afterwards.
Does it work for them to suck a protein drink thru a straw?
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It isn't always a dementia issue. My husband, whose mind was OK until his last week, had lyphoma and lung cancer. He got so where he couldn't swallow properly and I would find food on his pillow. He also developed aspiration pneumonia--where food and liquids go into the windpipe instead of esophagus. At one time they tried a nasogastric feeding tube, which he pulled out the first night. That was a not quite a week before his passing; just part of the general shutdown.
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My momma has the same issue. All food was pureed, which helped. She did enjoy milkshakes and Ensure up until 2 days before passing. Hospice explained that the body knows what to do when allowed to die naturally. One morning i fed her an Ensure, no trouble and by the afternoon, she would clench down and not allow the straw in her mouth! She took nothing after that except the pain meds that they had to quickly slip into her mouth and then massage to encourage swallowing. She's been gone 4 weeks today. Missing my sweet momma. Hugs to you and your loved one.
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When I answered the question, I didn't realize she had a problem swallowing. I thought she just didn't swallow all the food in her mouth. I hope you find the relief for her problem. Does she see a doctor often? Maybe he or she can find a solution.
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My husband is pocketing food also. I am amazed at the things he can hold. Chocolate for instance. You would think it would melt away. But, he proved me wrong.
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This is the saddest thread I've ever read. The initial post and so many responses talk about all the extreme actions you've tried and the results are still iffy at best. My heart goes out to all of you.
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Maybe your Mum is forgetting to swallow her food properly, therefore is retaining some in her mouth. If you can, sit with her when she eats and remind her to chew and swallow her food. It might be her swallowing reflex, it might be that she forgets to eat her food properly.
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My mom was unable to feed herself but ate very well. When feeding her i would put a small piece of the meat on spoon with either applesauce or mashed potatoes. This helped her swallow better. If I just gave the meat alone, she would just keep chewing it. I fed her slowly and would say let me know when you are ready for another bite. I also think she ate much better if I did nothing but feed her. I used a plastic spoon to make sure I was giving her smaller portions. I also noticed that she appeared to swallow a few times before the food actually went down. I always made the offer of a bite or drink each time. We did have a speach therapist come out for some ideas and suggestions.
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Samara you said, "This is so frustrating to read all of you writing in, I had no idea there were so many with this problem." Yep it's sad but take strength from that. You're not alone and there are many others trying to help you by sharing their own stories.
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My mom, 80, diagnosed with Parkinsons and dementia, had a feeding tube implanted week ago. At least we now know she gets food and there is no chance of choking or dying from starvation.
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