 It is important to do what you can
to make sure that the person you are caring for enjoys their food and
eats a healthy, balanced diet. As dementia progresses eating can become
difficult for some people. However, by making a few changes you can help
keep mealtimes as enjoyable and stress free as possible.
AnestaWeb's three main tips for helping someone with
dementia to eat are:
- Keep calm A calm, regular routine is reassuring for a person with
dementia. Meals should be relaxed, unhurried occasions, so allow plenty
of time and make sure that there are no distractions such as television
or radio. Never try to feed a person when they are agitated, or if
they are drowsy or lying down, as there is a danger of choking.
- Be flexible Changes in eating habits often take place as dementia
progresses. Accept that mealtimes might become very different to how
they used to be or how you would like them to be.
- Help the person to feel involved If you have to feed the person,
try putting the food into their hand and guiding it to their mouth,
so that you involve them in the process of eating.
- Don’t feel you need to prepare elaborate meals – it
is probably better to devote your energy to ensuring that the person
eats and enjoys their food.
- If the person is restless or has a poor appetite, they may find
frequent small meals or nutritious snacks more tempting than large
meals.
- Dementia affects people’s sense of taste. You may need to
offer sauces or seasoning that the person did not use before. However,
make sure that the person does not use seasonings such as salt or
chilli excessively.
- Make sure that food and drinks are not too hot to serve –
people with dementia may lose the ability to judge temperature.
- Encourage the person to drink enough liquid each day. Too little
liquid can lead to dehydration, which can make the person more confused.
A rough guide is at least eight cups of liquid a day.
Hobbies, pastimes and everyday activities
How can activities someone with dementia?
- Taking part in activities will help the person you care for to
maintain their skills. They may become more alert and interested in
what is going on around them. Many activities are also interesting
and fun.
- Carrying out simple tasks can help the person feel better about
themselves by giving them a sense of achievement.
- Some types of activity can help the person you’re caring
for to express their feelings.
- Boredom and frustration are the two most common causes of challenging
behaviour in people with dementia. If the person you are caring for
is occupied and stimulated, some of the behaviour that you find most
difficult may lessen or even stop altogether.
- Sharing an activity that you both enjoy benefit you as much as
the person you are caring for. It may also bring the two of you closer
together, and help you find new ways to relate to each other.
- Discovering new ways to stimulate the person you care for can be
satisfying, and may enable you to think differently about your caring
role.
Talk with the person you are caring for to work out
which activities fit in with their interests. Try to find imaginative
ways to adapt their activities to their changing capabilities and moods.
Here are some suggestions.
Exercise
Exercising together will help you and the person you
care for. Exercise burns up the adrenalin produced by stress and frustration,
and produces endorphins, which can promote feelings of happiness. This
will help both of you relax and increase your sense of wellbeing. Exercise
can help you develop a healthy appetite, enjoy increased energy levels
and sleep better at night.
- Walking is a great form of exercise that provides a change of scene
and some fresh air. Many carers find ingenious ways of arranging little
trips, even if it is only to a local coffee shop.
- Swimming is another good all-round exercise, and the feeling of
being in the water can be very soothing and calming.
- If you want something more sociable, find out if your local leisure
or community centre offers classes for older people, such as gentle
stretching or tai chi.
- People with dementia can often remember the distant past more easily
than recent events. If you can find a way to trigger the more distant,
pleasant memories of the person you care for, they may become more
lively and interested.
- Talk about the past together, while looking at old family photos
or books with pictures, or listening to old music.
- Make up a ‘rummage box’ of old objects that the person
with dementia is interested in. Physically handling things may trigger
memories more effectively than looking at pictures.
- Talking about the past in this way can trigger strong emotions
in the person you care for, so it’s important to be sensitive.
You may uncover painful memories as well as happy ones. Dementia damages
the memory and the thinking and reasoning parts of the brain, but
the emotions still remain intact.
In the early stages
In the early stages of dementia, the person will probably
want to continue doing the things they have always done. People with dementia
retain memory for some activities, depending on which part of the brain
has been damaged. Activities such as reading, typing or playing the piano
are not always affected. As their carer, you are the best person to help
them keep active because you know them so well.
- Encourage the person to enjoy activities on their own.
- Provide encouragement and reminders.
- Put any equipment in a place where the person can see it and reach
it easily.
- Use short sentences when you suggest what to do.
Try to involve in some Activities
- Knitting Someone who has been a skilful knitter
may still be able to knit squares for a blanket.
Puzzles Someone who has enjoyed doing crosswords may still enjoy a
simple puzzle book.
- Social activities Play cards or board games, or
do some gardening or baking together.
Around the home Men and women alike can enjoy helping with washing
and drying up, laying the table or making beds. The end result may
not be perfect, but it can give an important sense of achievement.
- Music Even when other abilities are seriously
affected, many people still enjoy singing, dancing and listening to
music. Ask a friend to help you record a tape of the person’s
favourite pieces of music or songs for them to listen to.
- TV and radio Many people with dementia enjoy listening
to the radio. Television, however, can cause problems. Some people
with dementia lose the ability to tell the difference between what
is real and what is on screen, and can become distressed. They can
also become confused by too much noise. Try watching television together,
and choose programmes with small sections of action or humour, rather
than a programme with an involved plot. Even a favourite soap opera
may become confusing.
In the later stages
As their dementia advances, the person you are caring
for will still be able to carry out some tasks that are very familiar
to them. However, they will probably be more interested in the process
of doing the activity than in the end result.
- Break directions for an activity into small, manageable chunks,
and make sure each task is very simple.
- Try to think of activities that have just one step, such as sweeping,
dusting or winding wool.
- Sensory stimulation During the later stages of their dementia,
the person you are caring for may have severe difficulties with reasoning
and language, but they will still have their sense of taste, touch
and smell. Find ways of stimulating these senses.
- As their condition progresses, some people with dementia find comfort
in touching or stroking pieces of fabric or cuddly toys.
- Try giving the person a hand massage, using a scented oil such
as lavender. This can be very soothing.
- A fish tank, a mobile or a window with a nice view may have a calming
effect.
- Look for activities that are stimulating but that don’t involve
too many challenges or choices. People with dementia can find it difficult
to process options.
- A sense of humour survives in many people with dementia, so look
for activities that you will both find entertaining. Having a good
laugh will do you both good!
- Dementia often affects people’s concentration, so that they
can’t focus on what they are doing for very long; they may need
to do activities in short bursts.
- Dementia can affect a person’s motivation, so you may have
to help them get started – don’t be disheartened.
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