Eating and Drinking Well

People with dementia may experience problems with eating and drinking. There are many reasons this might happen. They might: forget to eat or drink; experience difficulties preparing food or drinks; have difficulty recognising food items; have a change in appetite or taste.

Regular, nutritious meals may become a challenge for people with dementia. As a person's cognitive function declines, he or she may become overwhelmed with too many food choices, forget to eat or have difficulty with eating utensils...

Geriatricians take weight loss very seriously and caregivers should, too. Family members are often at a loss when it comes to enticing loved ones to eat more (or at all), and many resort to using nutrition supplement drinks, such as Boost or Ensure, in lieu of meals. Unfortunately, it is a common misconception that these drinks are a complete source of nutrition. It is important to determine the Cause of a Senior’s Loss of Appetite before choosing this option.

A person with dementia may begin to develop changes in how they experience flavour. They may start to enjoy flavours they never liked before, or dislike foods they always liked.

Information about eating and drinking well and dementia.

Activities to promote discussions about food and the life events and celebrations that are centred around food and its preparation and consumption.

Topics covered include: constipation, fluid problems, overeating, taste changes, adding extra energy and protein, purposeful walking and becoming distracted during meals.

Our vision, smell, taste and hearing all play an important role in the eating and drinking experience. If a person with dementia has changes in the areas of their brain that help them make sense of what they see, they may find it difficult to recognise what is in front of them. If they don’t recognise the food in front of them, they may not be prompted to realise that they are hungry and that it is time to eat. Therefore we have to be mindful that visual and cognitive changes can make it difficult for someone with dementia when it comes to eating and drinking.

Family carers make food and drink decisions daily, and feel a duty to take on the responsibility for food shopping and cooking. They are conscious about ‘doing the right thing’ when it comes to providing nutritional care, and some feel uncertain about the food choices they are making, particularly regarding a reliance on convenience foods. Changes in appetite, food preferences and mealtime habits related to dementia can lead to disruption affecting the dyad. It is important that family carers and people living at home with dementia are provided with adequate support regarding identifying nutritional risks, making appropriate food and drink choices and preventing the risk of malnutrition in the dyad.
Mole, L., Kent, B., Abbott, R., & Hickson, M. (2021). Family carers’ experiences of nutritional care for people living with dementia at home: An interpretative phenomenological analysis. Dementia, 20(1), 231–246.

The aim of this paper was to understand the needs of family caregivers and professionals supporting people living with dementia with eating and drinking difficulties towards the end of life and the strategies they use to overcome them.
Barrado-Martin Y, Nair P, Anantapong K et al (2021) Family Caregivers’ And Professionals’ Experiences Of Supporting People Living With Dementia’s Nutrition And Hydration Needs Towards The End Of Life. Health and Social Care in the Community.

John Boland explains how LHI Retirement Services in South Australia has improved the mealtime experience for residents with dysphagia by changing the way texture-modified food is presented.
Boland, J. (2017). Re-designing texture modified foods. Australian Journal of Dementia Care, 6(4).

Denise Burbidge discusses finger foods as a flexible, dignified meal option for people with moderate to advanced dementia.
Burbidge, D. (2013). Food for thought: Facilitating independence with finger foods. Australian Journal of Dementia Care, 2(2).

The introduction of ‘help-yourself’ finger food and a person-centred dining approach has proved a successful addition to daily life at three Scalabrini Village aged care facilities in Sydney and Griffith which support people with dementia. Rocco Andreacchio and Lauren Kingsbury explain how residents, care staff and families have benefited from the changes.
Andreacchio, R., & Kingsbury, L. (2013). Residents happy to help themselves. Australian Journal of Dementia Care, 2(2).