Dad has Alzheimer's. He has decided he can no longer chew. Currently we age using Step 2 and Step 3 baby foods ( which we call transitional meals). Any suggestions ?
"Thick-It" is a brand that makes "delicious ready-to-drink beverages and ready-to-eat purees" ( I pulled that from there website. ) We had to switch to thicken liquids for my MIL when she started choking at almost every mealtime.
Just type Thick it into Google. You can find it and other brands at most drugstores.
He has difficulty swallowing or cant chew at all ? You need to call his doctor and get a speech therapist there to do a test on him in his home. My Mom can chew but has difficulty remembering to swallow. Here I sit with her, its been 2.5 hours and we are almost done with breakfast. She had 2 boiled eggs that I puree with milk in the "bullet blender." (I make up ahead) I alo use the bullet with a peeled cut-up apple, add a small whipped vanilla yogurt and blend into a thick drink. She also has a coffee and tea all thickened with thick it. At night I use any muffin, in the bullet, add vanilla yogurt and whip it up. Add a little milk or water to get the consistancy you want.She has thickened prune juice and sometimes a dessert yogurt or pudding. I have many ideas if you want more. She has a large breakfast and nothing until lunch usually. Beware because they can store food in pockets of the mouth and throat the ST told us. Watch for each swallow before giving more. My Mom can only have 1/2 teaspoon at a time. You dont all of a sudden want him to start choking because he has stored up a bunch, watch him carefully, and if you look away, hold your hand on his adams apple to feel for a swallow. Best of luck to you, let me know if you need more info.
We didn't have much success with Thick It. Our doctor (who only made house calls) suggested a speech therapist who came to the house. My mom always drank with a straw and the therapist said that when drinking from a straw you get too much at one time. The advice of the therapist was worth it, she made 2 home visits with many suggestions. Some days mom would choke more then others. We just paid attention to what foods were working and what wasn't. If she was having problems with the dinner that was made, we would just stop feeding that food and make scrambled eggs or Cheerios and strawberries, her favorite. This was the time that things changed on a daily basis for us. We just went with the flow. Moms doctor said something is better then nothing, if ice cream for breakfast worked, go for it.
get a food dehydrator and dry everything he likes. Then use a coffee grinder to a powder. Add hot water to the thickness he likes best. i did this for my family. add chia seed if you need a kind of thicken. you will be able to season to taste. They love flavor so taste their food before giving it to him if you don't like most likely he wont. Good luck
definitely contact his physician if he is having trouble or thinks he is having trouble chewing or swallowing. The doc can also make suggestions for meals. Smoothies are great, you can add peanut or almond butter to ice cream, you can add fruit to yogurt or cottage cheese, etc. I like crock pot cooking for meats as they are very tender and juicy as they cook in their own juices and can be pureed or chopped finely.
Liquid supplements such as Ensure and Glucerna; combinations of pureed vegetables and fruits are available in pouches in the baby food aisle. They are portable and easy to use.
My daughter is vegetarian and uses hemp protein powder in her smoothies. Would work in this case, too. Ferris, is there a nutritional difference between the powder and seeds?
purchase a 3 HP blender like a Vita-Mix and put raw food in it, like spinach, carrots, broccoli etc. Do not put in raw potatoes or cooked food. Add fruits like blueberries and strawberries, even bananas are O.K. add some raw honey for taste. You must also include sprouts for the protein. Experiment on this yourself for flavor. I like the chia seed suggestion, but sprout them before using them. There are plenty of instructions on the internet about sprouting. Sprouts are necessary for your dad to get plenty of protein. You will be surprised at the health benefits your dad will receive from this raw diet. Also check out Juice Diet and "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead" on the internet.
Just type Thick it into Google. You can find it and other brands at most drugstores.
At night I use any muffin, in the bullet, add vanilla yogurt and whip it up. Add a little milk or water to get the consistancy you want.She has thickened prune juice and sometimes a dessert yogurt or pudding. I have many ideas if you want more. She has a large breakfast and nothing until lunch usually. Beware because they can store food in pockets of the mouth and throat the ST told us. Watch for each swallow before giving more. My Mom can only have 1/2 teaspoon at a time. You dont all of a sudden want him to start choking because he has stored up a bunch, watch him carefully, and if you look away, hold your hand on his adams apple to feel for a swallow. Best of luck to you, let me know if you need more info.
You will be surprised at the health benefits your dad will receive from this raw diet. Also check out Juice Diet and "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead" on the internet.
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