3 Ways To Combat Unhealthy Weight Loss In Alzheimer's Patients
Posted on: 28 August 2017
One aspect of Alzheimer's disease that isn't always talked about is the fact that Alzheimer's patients often lose an unhealthy amount of weight as their disease progresses. This weight loss can be caused by a variety of factors, from difficulty swallowing to simply forgetting to eat, or being too easily distracted to finish a meal. If an Alzheimer's patient that you care about seems to be dropping pounds rapidly, there are things you can do to help combat the weight loss.
Make Sure The Food Is Visible
Caregivers who have ordinary vision themselves may not stop to think about whether or not the Alzheimer's patient that their caring for can actually see the food in front of them. After all, you can see it, so why shouldn't they? However, in addition to memory problems, Alzheimer's disease can cause difficulty in processing certain types of visual data, like depth and contrast. That mound of white mashed potatoes on a white plate may not register for the patient at all.
A Boston University study found that patients ate 25% more when consuming food served on red plates than served on white plates. Not everyone agrees that red plates encourage eating, however. Other studies have shown that red plates or placemats tend to be associated with stopping in the minds of diners, leading them to eat less, and that people eat more off of blue plates. For Alzheimer's patients, it probably has more to do with contrast than anything else – serve red Jello on white plates, white clam chowder in blue bowls, and bright green beans on red plates. Play up the contrasting colors as best you can.
Keep Dental Care in Mind
As Alzheimer's disease progresses, patients eventually lose the ability to explain what they're feeling and why. If chewing causes the patient pain due to cavities, dental infections, or poorly fitting dentures, they may simply avoid eating, leaving you to wonder why.
Make sure that the patient has regular dental checkups and that their dental hygiene is looked after as well. You should also make sure that the food being served is appropriate for the patient's current dental state. A patient who is waiting for an appointment to have a cavity filled or dentures adjusted should be served soups or soft foods that won't cause chewing pain in the meantime. Patients who wear dentures may not be able to chew tough meats or hard fruits and vegetables like raw apples and carrots. Serve cooked fruits and vegetables and make sure that meats are tender and cut into small pieces. In later stages, patients may have swallowing problems that necessitate a pureed diet.
Serve Lots of Portable Snacks
How can you handle a patient that just can't sit still long enough to eat, or forgets that they're supposed to be eating? One way to make sure that they get the calories they need is to keep plenty of high-calorie snacks on hand – preferably snacks that can be eaten while standing up or wandering.
For a patient that's frequently restless, easily distracted, and prone to wandering, getting through three sit-down meals a day may simply be too much to ask for. Single-serving containers of ice cream or pudding, protein shakes, and soft finger foods like cheese slices, chicken nuggets, and cookies can help a patient meet their caloric needs and can be handed to the patient at any time during the day. Sandwiches on soft bread are also a good choice – they can be held in the hand and consumed anywhere.
Even if you're visiting the patient in a memory care facility instead of caring for them yourself, you can help make sure your loved one gets enough to eat. Bring them favorite treats from home, (check with the staff first to make sure it's OK) visit during mealtimes so that you can eat with them, and keep the staff informed about feeding strategies that have worked for you at home or during visits so they can use them as well.
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