My husband is now in the moderately severe stage of vascular dementia. He is having trouble swallowing.
We have appt. next week with speech pathologist. In last few days he has been holding his pills in his mouth or chewing them up before swallowing. Could this be dangerous?
He needs a swallowing evaluation by the speech pathologist. It should involve a. Modified Barium swallow test. When swallowing is compromised, there is a risk of aspiration pneumonia. As for the pills, my dad's are crushed and mixed with a bit of thickened apple sauce. Good luck!
Chewing most pills up isn't dangerous, though I know it can't be pleasant for him. Many people with dementia begin to have trouble swallowing late in the disease. It can help to grind their medicines, if possible, and sprinkle them in their food. Of course, then you have to make sure all the food is eaten so they get the right dose of medicine.
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