Dysphasia ideas, suggestions?

After having aspiration pneumonia, my now late husband had dysphasia and had to have all his foods pureed and his drinks thickened with the product Thick-It. While I never tried it myself, he never once complained about it, because I just put it in the drinks he drank every day which was orange juice and Powerade.
So try just putting it in his normal drinks. And any food can be pureed, so that's not an issue at all.
Don't make this harder than it needs to be. Your father will adjust to his new way of eating and drinking.

Oh and P.S. I would stop giving him ice chips as even those can go into his lungs and cause aspiration pneumonia, which in most cases is fatal.

Ice chips are just as dangerous as giving him a glass of water.
If he does not like the texture of thickened liquids then he needs to increase other forms of "fluids"
Pudding
Applesauce
Other pureed fruits and or vegetables. (fruits need to be pureed as they can easily slip down the trachea)
Oatmeal
Cream of Wheat
Cream of rice

Ice cream, Jell-O, popsicles, m ilk shakes and things like that when they get to body temperature will become liquid so they can cause aspiration.

I have a short story here if you don't mind. My mother developed dysphagia and started out just like your father. She made a face like I was giving her cod liver oil when she ate. She had been placed in hospice care by her heart doctor but lived in her assisted living who put her on the diet with doctor's orders. After a while she got a little more used to it but went on about especially ice. By then way you can look up dysphagia recipes online that conform with the stage he is in. So her hospice worker saw that she was really trying. Sheh got special permission to help her with the diet telling her that she had heard of people getting off the diet. That was all she needed, doing throat exercises, taking her "medicine". Do you know in about six weeks she had graduated to being off the diet! Then she was taken off of hospice. She still had to be careful eating and drinking, but she was kicking for a long time afterward. That might be what your father needs. Also, my mother's worst habit causing her dysphagia was talking while she was eating. That is a hard one. But she had to stop and she started getting the meals in her room to keep her from talking. I wish you good luck. If you would like to talk please feel free.

It's dysphagia, with a g. Aren't all these terms fun?🙄
I liked the xanthan gum products best, the one we used was Thicken Up clear. There are different levels of thickening so be sure he's getting the one needed. But start with skipping water and instead offering beverages that already have a natural thickness where anything additional won't be quite as noticeable - like tomato and vegetable juice, hot chocolate, lattes vs coffee, fruit juices made into smoothies. If he's allowed a straw that can also be helpful because the texture is less noticeable.

Please do not give him ice chips since they melt in the mouth to create thin liquids. It might be easier for him to start adjusting to the new texture by drinking soups and juices. Then progress to other cold drinks. Lastly, go for water and coffee since those have very distinct textures associated with them.

Ask the speech therapist for more suggestions. When I worked in healthcare, patients would pleed, but they could not put the guilt trip on me, a stranger. Always always keep in mind that any deviation can lead to pneumonia. You have to judge quality of life, which you need to be persuing or you might contribute to reduced quantity of life. And do realize the next step will be losing appetite.

Very important to follow medical directions. It may seem frustrating to you and the wish to find alternatives is normal, however, as you know, the danger of him choking or aspiration is very high. Keep asking questions with his medical team ( including nutritionist, PCP, other specialists).

SusanHeart: It's best to consult his primary care physician and a specialist such as a nutritionist if need be.

There is a Facebook group for those with dysphagia. You might visit that.

My father has the same issue, we use packets of Simply Thick, they mix completely, no taste, no grit. Can be used in hot or cold liquids, works like magic for my Dad. He would cough terribly when drinking, this stopped that in its tracks. It is the same product the speech therapists used with my husband when he had throat surgery and needed to learn how to swallow again. More expensive than the powders but so worth it. Can find it on Amazon if you are interested. Best of luck.