Almost everyone experiences changes to their eating habits as they age. Changes to the sense of taste and smell, decreased appetite, and more can make mealtimes a different experience for older adults. The cognitive and physical changes that come with dementia create additional mealtime challenges, though, meaning senior care facilities often need to do more to ensure residents get the nutrition they need to be healthy.

Dementia & Diet Concerns 

Dementia causes cognitive changes that can make eating more challenging. At the same time, not maintaining proper nutrition can cause excessive weight loss and contribute to mood and behavioral problems. 

Caregivers in senior care settings often need to help their residents at mealtimes. Dementia can make it more difficult to use utensils, identify foods, or even make choices about what to eat. Some people with dementia might forget to eat or forget that they ate and ask for the same meal multiple times. Physical changes, such as new medications or difficulties chewing and swallowing can also decrease appetite or desire to eat, meaning extra vigilance and care is necessary. 

For some dementia patients, communicating what they would—or would not—like to eat is a challenge. Others may not recognize or communicate that they are hungry or thirsty. Therefore, senior care providers must learn to recognize cues and find ways to ensure their residents get the nutrition they need. 

How to Support Nutrition for Dementia Patients

Senior care facilities use a variety of techniques to support healthy eating and proper nutrition for their residents. Some of the ways they do so include:

• Serving one or two foods at a time. Dementia makes it more challenging to make decisions, so limiting choices to a few preferred foods removes that obstacle. 
• Limiting distractions. Serving meals in quiet areas with minimal distractions helps people focus on eating. 
• Making food safe. Choosing meals that are easy to eat is a good start. Food is cut into easy-to-chew bites when necessary and served at a safe temperature. Dementia patients cannot always readily distinguish hot or cold, so temperature testing is important for safety.
• Making food easy to see. Dementia causes changes to vision and spatial skills, so serving food on white plates, and avoiding patterned tableware makes it easier to distinguish food from the dishes or table. 
• Serving a variety of small meals more frequently. This helps with managing appetite, and when food is appealing and varied, mealtime is a more pleasant experience.

If your loved one is living with dementia, a compassionate and supportive senior care environment can help them stay safe and healthy. At BeeHive® Homes of Kalispell in Kalispell, MT, your loved one will receive attentive care in an engaging, welcoming environment. They’ll enjoy daily activities, as well as housekeeping services and delicious, nutritious meals. To learn more about life at BeeHive Homes, visit them online, or call (406) 871-8667 to schedule a tour.