A question I’m often asked is what would I recommend buying a person with dementia? This has become even more pertinent with so many family members unable to see relatives with dementia during the pandemic, and looking for ideas of…
Tag: dysphagia
When eating just isn’t happening
One of the topics I haven’t covered in depth on this blog is refusal to eat. So many of my blog posts are inspired by our experiences with my dad, and one thing he never did was refuse to eat,…
Still hard to swallow
With over 200 blogs on D4Dementia now, some of them approaching 7 years old in May this year, I’ve decided to spend my 2019 year of blogging by re-visiting some of the topics I’ve covered previously, throwing fresh light on…
Fixing dementia care in hospitals
Standards of hospital care for people with dementia made the news last week, with an investigation by the Alzheimer’s Society showing shocking variations in the quality of care being given, prompting the charity to launch their ‘Fix Dementia Care’ campaign. Given…
The digestive balance
You know that feeling you get after a meal when you’ve eaten a bit too much and although you loved the meal you are wishing you had shown a bit more restraint? Commonly known as indigestion, something I suspect all…
Hydrated and happy
Dehydration is one of the biggest challenges facing anyone caring for someone who is older or living with dementia. Many older people are known to be chronically short of fluid in their bodies, leading to urinary tract infections and many…
Catching some z’s
There are few things more closely associated with wellbeing than a good night’s sleep. It is something many of us take for granted until it is disturbed by the people or environment around us, or when those dreaded nights of…
Hard to swallow
Something that is sadly very common in advanced dementia is the decline of the swallowing reflex. The condition, known as dysphagia, is extremely distressing for both the person affected and those caring for them, and can be fatal, either directly…
Treat others as you would wish to be treated yourself
Ask most people caring for a loved one with dementia what they dread the most, and a common theme will probably be hospital admission. For so many reasons, hospitals and dementia patients are a combination that is fraught with problems,…
Five-a-day to keep dementia away?
One of the things I am most frequently asked is how do you prevent getting dementia? People who have seen how this disease eventually ravages a person would do anything to avoid getting it, and those who have no first-hand…
Food for thought
One of the things many of us take for granted in our busy lives is the enjoyment of food. It is vital to fuel our bodies for the physical and mental exertions they face, and it is one of life’s great…