My daughter is a speech pathologist...she evaluates and watches my mom's swallowing. Ask your mom's doctor for an evaluation . I do some of the things suggested here and a few others...I cut food up small, give a bit, then a drink.... I make smoothies... Use Ensure plus... Mash foods or choose soft foods. Prompt her to swallow and softly stroke her throat from the top down. I do 5 small meals rather than 3 big ones.
cwillie has a good point. Any time my Dad tried to eat he would aspirate his food, thus some food wound up in his lungs and he would have a bad coughing spell. It got to a point where he would try to eat something like mashed potatoes and gravy [his favorite] and it became too difficult for him. He couldn't even drink water without it going into his lungs :(
Goodday, first get her checked to make sure there isn't something bothering her that can be treated, but once she reaches a point where they won't swallow even pureed food and thickened liquids she is probably entering the final phase of life. Let her eat ice cream or anything else she will swallow as often as she wants. Have you tried the nutritional drinks like boost or ensure, they pack a lot of calories in a small container and people can live on them indefinitely.
My Dad doesn't remove the food from his mouth, he just "pockets" it in his right cheek -- ALWAYS his right cheek, which seems weird! And if no one says anything to him, he will continue to chew and chew even after he's finished his meal and has gotten up from the table. I usually visit my Mom and Dad at lunch time and at supper time, so when I see this happening I tell Dad to take some sips of his juice or water, swish it around in his mouth, and swallow. Sometimes he has to do this two or three times to get rid of all the food in his mouth. We're thankful that he will do this, as we realize that eventually even listening to us and doing what we ask will probably go by the wayside. We started getting him to swish after my Mom became tired and disgusted at the amount of food he spat into the sink when brushing his teeth in the evening!
In response to palm3847, MyThreeSons, others, and whoever removed the recipe location from my post above, I am a nurse and nutrition counselor, with both parents in a recent move from living independently in their own home, due mostly to cognition issues, to living with w/ 2 of my brothers in different states. I suggested blender nutrition in my comment, and the rest of my post was the address of my website, , for smoothie recipes and info on benefits of raw nutrition. Thanks to palm3847 for details of her blender ideas, for the interesting outcome with hemoglobin, a clinically significant result. :-) and to everyone for input on what to expect if dementia progresses in either parent. High quality whey protein powder is an excellent supplement to meet protein needs in anyone, and especially folks who have any problems with chewing and/or swallowing meat. palm3847 didn't mention if her hot soups were made w/ raw produce, but you can do that. I use fresh and/or frozen produce for my hot raw blender soups, generally saute the onions and garlic in coconut oil first, and let fresh vegs warm in hot water, or in a coffee carafe with hot water dripping while I do another part of the preparation. To MyThreeSons, you can make a blender-prepared soup this way for your father who doesn't like sweetness, adding unflavored whey protein and a healthy oil of your choice, like flax oil, olive oil, or the coconut oil which may help with dementia. I don't have a VitaMix or BlendTec, but might experiment with blending meat in if I did. I am experimenting now with grinding chia and flax seeds 2:1, and adding this preground seed mix to smoothies and hot soups. Chia is a bit like raw natural Miralax, it thickens and forms bulk, and both flax and chia contain healthy oils and other excellent nutrition. Always start small with changes such as adding chia and flax, like a tsp each, until you see how it works, and check with doc if patient has diverticulitis, which seeds may aggravate. Dr. Oz recommends 2 Tbs. flax, and 15 oz. chia, which he says works out to about 2 Tbs. Dr. Bob Arnot talks about chia in his book _Aztec Diet_, and recommends up to 6 Tbsp / day, and hydrate, hydrate, hydrate with the chia, that is what makes it work as a bulk former to relieve constipation. hth, and thanks again, everyone, for sharing information on this difficult concern.
There is a physical therapist in Sun City, AZ who was working with my husband who has no gag reflex (not good because he can choke on food or swallowing). Electrical stimulation (TENS) is actually used on the throat area to tightened the throat muscles. Radio frequency is another name for stimulation and I use a DermaWand to tighten my face and throat to generate collagen and tighten my wrinkles daily. It works! Not all PT's do this procedure, but my husband's doctor highly recommended this PT as he does wonders for his patients. Good luck finding one!
Vitamix and smoothies sound like better options that baby food stage 1, etc. My mother avoided solid foods in her last few years because she feared choking (from throat constriction) andthe pain of constipation. Miralax helped (when I found out about it).
She was partial to certain flavored yogurts, and somewhat fussy about certain combos. Ensure drinks helped provide basic nutrition, too. Unfortunately, my Dad doesn't like the sweetness.
Your mother might be afraid she will gag. Try a blender and get her a straw. You do not state what stage of Alzheimer's she is in, but eating and swallowing will become more and more difficult. Make sure you have all your legal documents in place (living Trust, Will, Healthcare Power of Attorney, Mental Health Power of Attorney).
I can tell you from experience with my mom that they just do this due to the texture of the food etc. I have been told that Alzhiemer's makes them forget to swallow as well. My mother will chew and chew and chew and then spit out the food, and it does not matter the consistency or texture of the food either.
What I have started doing about this problem, since reminding and insisting for her to swallow usually does not work very well. I purchased a Vitamix blender and now I make her "whole fruit and veggie" smoothies, as well as, hot soups and frozen icecream. This way she can actually drink the fruits and veggies and is getting the "raw" nutrients. She doesn't like certain foods, but by using this blender I can add in those "good for you" foods that she would not other wise eat.
When I make the hot soup in the vitamix, I add in meats and protein powder to keep her meals balanced. The vitamix has made the world of difference in the way that she consumes food, as well as, the way that her body uses the nutrients. Her hemoglobin has been every month in the low 8.0-9.0 range, but after starting the "whole foods/raw foods" it is now in the 11.0 range. The cool thing about this kitchen machine, is that it does so many things and allows me to actually get good nutritious foods into my mom without her spitting the foods back out.
I hope that this helps out with the issue of chewing and not swallowing thier foods.
They do get a lot of nutrients in the "juice" which they swallow this way. He might just prefer this. Some people put food in a juicer for a similar result.
It has been my experience as a special ed teacher who works with young children with neurological problems, including feeding problems, that help with swallowing problems is usually provided by speech therapists although I have seen some (not as many) occupational therapists who are trained to do feeding evaluations and feeding therapy. I have never seen feeding therapy done by PTs, either in my work or when my husband was having swallowing problems when he was in the hospital. It might be a good idea to have have a speech therapist do a feeding assessment and see what he or she recommends.
and she will swallow sometimes what can I do to get her to swallow
She was partial to certain flavored yogurts, and somewhat fussy about certain combos. Ensure drinks helped provide basic nutrition, too. Unfortunately, my Dad doesn't like the sweetness.
What I have started doing about this problem, since reminding and insisting for her to swallow usually does not work very well. I purchased a Vitamix blender and now I make her "whole fruit and veggie" smoothies, as well as, hot soups and frozen icecream. This way she can actually drink the fruits and veggies and is getting the "raw" nutrients. She doesn't like certain foods, but by using this blender I can add in those "good for you" foods that she would not other wise eat.
When I make the hot soup in the vitamix, I add in meats and protein powder to keep her meals balanced. The vitamix has made the world of difference in the way that she consumes food, as well as, the way that her body uses the nutrients. Her hemoglobin has been every month in the low 8.0-9.0 range, but after starting the "whole foods/raw foods" it is now in the 11.0 range. The cool thing about this kitchen machine, is that it does so many things and allows me to actually get good nutritious foods into my mom without her spitting the foods back out.
I hope that this helps out with the issue of chewing and not swallowing thier foods.
God bless!