Helping those with dementia to eat well

Home Instead Senior Care, Marlinstown Office Park, Mullingar 044 9385260 www.homeinstead.ie

Many older people, and especially people with dementia, tend to prefer sweeter tasting foods for different reasons.

Therefore, they may consume mostly high calorie but low nutrient foods like cakes and sweets.

Here are some tips that you can use to add a sweeter flavour to non-sweet nutritious foods to help improve your loved ones nutrition.

Add sweet sauces to bland or savoury meals

• Cranberry sauce with turkey

• Mint sauce with lamb

• Pineapple with ham

• Barbecue sauce with beef, chicken and pork

• Ketchup with beef, chicken, pork and sausages

• Use sweet-chilli sauce for chicken, pork and fish

• Add chutney to curry sauces

• Offer sweet and sour sauce with all meats

• Try adding a small amount of honey to potatoes and vegetables

• Try adding a little sugar to mince, stew or potatoes

Add sweet tastes to sandwiches - apple and cheese on toast, banana on bread/toast, relish with meat or Nutella on bread/toast.

Add honey to porridge, yoghurt, bread/toast, scones, pancakes, and potato and vegetables.

Add Nutella to porridge.

Use naturally sweet foods in dishes e.g. carrots, parsnips, sweet potato, red/yellow/orange peppers, sweetcorn and peas.

Sweet potatoes can be used instead of regular potatoes for chips and mashed or roasted potatoes.

How to Increase Appetite at Meal Times

Many factors can lead to poor intake of meals and snacks. Here are some tips that you can use to encourage greater intake:

During mealtimes

• Allow extra time for meals as needed

• Make sure glasses are on, dentures are in, and that hearing aids are in and turned on

• Place foods within their field of vision/attention

• Offer a varied diet with many choices, strong flavours, sweet flavours and foods with different taste, colours, textures (if able pending diet consistency) and smells

• Serve one course at a time to keep cold foods cold and warm foods warm

• Prompts such as giving gentle verbal advice or placing the cutlery or cup in the person’s hand can help. Prompting also helps to maintain dignity and independence. Over time it may be necessary to assist with eating.

• Cutting up foods or offering finger foods encourages greater independence and may improve one’s intake

• Serve small amounts of foods. Once eaten, a further portion can always be served.

• Consider offering three smaller meals on a tea-plate with two to three snacks in between rather than three main meals.

• Fortify food and drink to ensure they are getting as much energy and protein as possible e.g. add extra butter, crème, cheese, gravy, etc.

• Encourage nourishing drinks e.g. milk, milk-based coffee and hot chocolate, yoghurt drinks, smoothies, fruit juices, etc.

The physical environment

should be:

• Calm and relaxed

• Adequate lighting

• Eliminate noise disturbances

• Minimal decorations as to not over stimulate