8 Tips To Encourage Residents To Eat

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At this time of year, food adds so much enjoyment to our holidays. I’m already dreaming of our traditional family Thanksgiving dinner: ham, mashed potatoes, corn, dinner rolls, pumpkin pie, and all the rest of the trimmings.

Because of this, it’s hard to see our memory care residents show little or no interest in food, especially over the holidays. Today I’ll share 8 tips to help you encourage your residents to eat.

• Provide a pleasant environment

As you prepare to begin a meal, stop for a moment and survey the atmosphere in the dining room. Remember that residents living with dementia may become easily distracted. Background noise such as TV, loud voices, inappropriate music, or noisy equipment quickly leads to poor food intake.

We need to be aware of our demeanor and promote a calm, pleasant, unhurried atmosphere. Many memory care centers now encourage caregivers to eat with their residents. This promotes socialization and modeling.

It’s also important for us to focus on our residents and not only chat with each other during meals. Positive comments about the food are helpful, too. For example, if you say, “I love this soup. It’s just like my mom makes,” residents will be more likely to try it.

• Evaluate medications 

A wide variety of medications cause side effects that can decrease a person’s food intake. Some meds cause a dry mouth or an unpleasant taste in the mouth. Others result in nausea, constipation, or a loss of appetite. Certain meds even alter our sense of smell.

Every nursing home has a consultant pharmacist. If a resident displays a change in their food intake, the nurse can request a medication review. The pharmacist will look for potential side effects and recommend solutions.

• Check dental status

We all know how annoying and distracting it can be when we have a problem with a tooth, not to mention the discomfort. Imagine how much worse it becomes when a resident can’t explain what’s wrong.

Thorough daily mouth care is crucial in maintaining good food intake. Sadly, when caregivers are extremely busy, I find this is one area we easily overlook.

It’s also important to arrange routine dental exams. Problems such as gum disease, cavities, broken or loose teeth, and ill-fitting dentures greatly affect a person’s desire and ability to eat.

• Know your residents

Talk with residents and their family members and find out as much as you can about your resident’s previous eating habits. What were their favorite foods? What foods did they avoid? Did they enjoy snacks? What were typical mealtimes? While food preferences may change over time, most people stick with long-time habits.

Also, when you find an approach that works especially well with a resident, be sure to communicate it to the rest of the staff.

• Prepare attractive food

Many residents with a diagnosis of dementia eventually develop difficulty swallowing. Besides leading to weight loss, this condition also increases the danger of choking or inhaling food.

A speech-language pathologist can evaluate a resident and recommend a diet that is safe but not overly restrictive. This usually involves a change in the diet texture, such as providing food that is ground up or pureed.

I cringe to think of the days when I worked as a CNA (a long time ago!), and we served colorless, bland blobs of pureed foods to our residents. Thankfully, today there are so many creative techniques that make food appear appetizing, no matter what the texture.

This includes the use of special molds, colorful ingredients, and garnishes.   Check out these amazing photos for examples.

• Offer adaptive equipment 

Issues such as shakiness or stiff joints make it more difficult for residents to feed themselves. This may cause fatigue, frustration, or embarrassment, leading to poor food intake.

Fortunately, today we have a myriad of approaches and adaptive devices to help residents maintain their independence as long as possible. One approach is to provide foods that residents can easily eat with their fingers.

The nurse can also request a referral to an occupational therapist. They’ll recommend special equipment to make meals easier and more enjoyable for a resident.

• Consider changes in vision

Dementia can affect vision in many ways. You can read more about that in this previous post.

For people experiencing problems with their peripheral (side) vision, something as simple as rotating a plate often makes a big difference. It’s also helpful to serve food on plates of bright, contrasting colors.

• Avoid overwhelming a resident

It’s normal for a person’s appetite to decline somewhat as we age. So when we serve huge portions on a plate, it can overwhelm an older person. Often, a resident will eat better if we offer smaller servings.

Many memory care centers now serve five small meals a day instead of the traditional three meals. It’s also helpful to make a variety of healthy snacks readily available between meals and at bedtime.

*Here’s a free printable you can use to help remind staff how to create an enjoyable meal experience for your residents.*

 

What did I miss? What else can you suggest to help improve food intake for residents living with dementia?