Mom not swallowing food. What should we do?

YUP;...... SWALLOWING TEST.......

this will give your family a true test of her swallowing capabilities.

HOnestly,.... the home she is in, can make her anything tasty in the form of a splendid blend of soup, and anything she can swallow without choking to death.
The foods they make my LO smells good and tastes good too. ;)
Yes, you may taste the food.. It is the same without the "choking hazards" :)
A step up from baby food.
If she likes yogurt,,, (kifir) no worries, mom will not starve to death... just blend it so she can swallow.... It Is Ok...

GEt a nurse or doctor in to give her the SWALLOW TEST .... It does help

And hospice as I looked at other responses... is to keep mom comfortable.

If you can bring her favorite foods deserts. treats. or meats, veggies, etc... in a form she can swallow,,, that would be great.. You may need to bring it in soup form or soft food... it is ok if she accepts and likes it.... THAT IS ALL THAT MATTERS.

When hospice is on board.. it is to keep patient comfortable to the max...
Please understand that this time NOW... is her new BASE LINE... This base line is the where her new life line begins... from this point... so please love and give her the most fun you can...and the most enjoyable food she wants to salivate. It is okay :)

If you decide on a feeding tube, note it can have complications, but I had my mom on one and she did wonderful with it--*BUT* it was a *LOT* of work to prevent infection and keeping the tube clean and patent. You have to really know what you are doing...and oral care is vital even with tube feedings. IF you go that route, make sure it is a LAST RESORT only. You need a *LOT* of teaching and it MUST be cared for constantly.

Hospice will never tell you how to do this, but I learned myself. Here it goes.

(1) You will have to REVOKE hospice. All that takes is signing a piece of paper.
(2) Once you revoked hospice, her mom's regular Medicare will pay for the hospitalization and tube feed placement. The surgery is fast only takes a few minutes (the paper work takes more time)--once they make sure she tolerates the tube feeding, she's back home.
(3) REINSTATE HOSPICE. Very simple to do. Choose which hospice you want and sign the paper. YOU DO NOT need a doctor's order because once on hospice, that's that. Reinstate hospice prior to leaving the hospital -- a social worker will organize all of that. Transport will be paid for by hospice, and they give you all of those supplies for free including tube feedings, feeding pump, tubings, diapers, and so on and keep her on a strict bowel schedule.
Doing it this way makes the feeding tube PRE-EXISTING so they will pay for the supplies!

I did not use that abdominal binder. I went on amazon and bought some "tube tops" that concealed the feeding tube. These tube tops were very comfortable for mum. Mom never bothered with the tube, but when I turned her to clean her, this prevented the tube from being yanked by the covers.

I put mom on tube feedings because death by dehydration can take two weeks or longer. Mom never had a problem with her tube feedings; in fact, she got healthier. However, mom was also insulin-dependent diabetic and decades of that gave her kidney and liver disease--she did not die of Alzheimer's disease but kidney and liver issues. Hey she lived to be 90..I'm completely satisfied with that, and mum died at home surrounded by love. Not once did hospice ever have to give her any narcotics or psychotropics. Mom's death was the most painfree and peaceful imaginable--and at home. Mum was on hospice a total of 2 years.

blend the foods... make sure she can swallow.... that is why swallow test is important... they will instruct you..

my lo had a test after a stroke...... it was all for safety.......

’m so sorry but her dementia has progressed considerably you may need to have hospice begin oral morphine. do not forget the ativan... please...

I added a portion to this post that I had pasted and re=posted. Yes, it is important..

There is a company called Mom's Meals that helps with meals for the elders. When my mom first started getting meals she was doing the same thing so I called and asked if they could change her meals to pureed food and they did now I don't have that trouble with her not swollen her food anymore
Here is the number to the company 1-866-204-6111

First of al I would encourage your dad to talk with her primary doctor. Your mother is on Hospice but I think this would be a necessary test to keep your mom safe. Swallow evaluation is really not too much to go through in my opinion. My 98 year old mother did very well during the test and took about 1/2 hour. The patient will eat different textures of food and the pathologist will show you on the screen where the food is heading. We watched it and was shocked to see food going almost into my moms lungs. We met with a speech therapist and dietician shortly after the evaluation and both were extremely helpful. I would definately advice both you and your dad to speak to her primary and do this asap. Your mother is at high risk for aspiration pneumonia, choking and death. There is a lot to keeping her safe. Correct positioning while eating, correct consistency of pureed foods and liquids. Checking her mouth to be sure food is swallowed and not hanging around, using mouthwash after each meal to keep bacteria from forming. Swallowing twice after each bite. Yes necessary to have a consult. Sorry for being so blunt but it really is a scary situation for caregiver if they do not know what to do and find themselves in a desperate situation with a choking episode. I hired a personal chef at the very beginning and it was helpful. There are companies who home deliver pureed foods, meals on wheels less expensive and sometimes free depending on insurance. I wish your mother the best and hope your dad becomes educated and cooperative for the best interest of your mom.

Posted earlier on subject but was unable to add. Another reputable company for pureed food.
Gourmet Pureed 1-866-971-6667
Mention promo code pureed for discount
Fresh and high quality
14 days fresh lock, just heat and serve.
$7.99 per complete meal

My Dad had Parkinson’s and Lewy Body Dementia. Swallowing is a real issue with Parkinson’s. He was about the mid stage of Parkinson’s, having a lot of trouble swallowing. His doctor said he would fail the test, so there was no sense putting him through it.

We just made some adjustments to his meal. Cut meal into tiny tiny bites, used gravy a lot, lots of jello, ice cream, pudding, Ensure milkshakes, etc.

His Doctor said to remember that Any Calorie Is A Good Calorie once they start having trouble swallowing. If desserts go down easier, then desserts it is. Weight loss is very detrimental.

"Pocketing" is the name used by nurses when the elderly hold food in their cheeks. My mom had the same problem. I gave her yogurt, sour cream, ice cream, and scrambled eggs. The last few weeks of her life when she stopped swallowing, I gave her spoonfuls of water and chipped ice. She had Alzheimer's and was on and off hospice the last 5 years of her life. She passed away on January 4th of this year. She was 91 going on 92.

Hello BlueEcho, so sorry about your mom. Sending my thoughts and prayers to you.

My mom is 87, hospice patient with dementia. She also pauses—the brain forgets what to do with the food. I brought a little Cuisinart chopper and chop everything in tiny pieces. Sometimes it takes a few minutes before her brain kicks back in. Stop feeding her until she either starts chewing again or remove the food from her mouth immediately, as she can choke. My heart goes out to you and your family. This is so hard to watch.

Aassuming she will "eventually" swallow chunky food is both wrong and dangerous. If he's resistant to getting that message from you and the caregiver, ask the doctor to have a serious talk with him about how important it is to address it.