Hi! I'm a senior care specialist trained to match you with the care option that is best for you.
- Get personalized guidance from a dedicated local advisor.
- Get an easy-to-understand breakdown of services and fees.
- Our service is 100% free to use - no hidden costs.
By clicking
Talk to a Specialist, you agree to our
privacy policy and
terms and conditions. Our team, or our partner providers, may contact you via a system that can auto-dial. Your consent is not required to use our service.
The hard part is over.
I'm matching you with one of our specialists who will be calling you in the next few minutes.
Don't want to wait?
Skip to the front of the line by calling (888) 887-4593.
GardenArtist you are so right that a speech therapist will have some suggestions about the mechanics of eating that can be helpful without regard to what is being eaten. I highly recommend consulting that specialist.
Some NH do great things with mashed potatoes (add cottage cheese, etc), while others add "thickener" to everything giving it a a weird sticky texture. (yuck!).
"Thickened water" is also popular with NH & therapists...just not so popular with patients (IMHO tiny sips of real water that get into the patient are better than all the thickened water in the world that stays in the glass)
You might raise the issue with a speech therapist (or speech pathologist) about soft foods, avoiding harder to chew foods such as meats. If you do, ask for recommendations as well on how to get protein and iron rich foods, as cutting out or cutting back on the meat without substituting some good protein foods could cause her to become weaker.
Some of my organic gardening friends make smoothies, with a blend of fruits as well as high iron foods such as spinach.
Pureed foods are another option, but be careful what you puree. Some foods become inedible when pureed. When I broke my jaw after an encounter with a tree, I was on soft foods for several weeks. I had a real craving for potato salad, made it and pureed it. Yuck. It was inedible.
Soups are a good option though.
A speech therapist can also arrange for a videoscopic swallow test to determine if she's aspirating food into her lungs.