Help the person you care for to eat safely and prevent aspiration pneumonia
People with dementia may experience the problems listed below.
People with dementia may not be able to judge what can or cannot be eaten. They may eat inedible materials that are within reach when feeling hungry. Make sure to keep inedible materials and chemicals in safe places.
If the person is in the late stages of dementia, they may experience swallowing difficulties that can cause a lung infection called aspiration pneumonia. Aspiration
pneumonia occurs when food is swallowed in the wrong way and goes into the person’s lungs instead of their stomach. This can then cause an infection. Eating, drinking and feeding methods may need to be modified to prevent this life-threatening problem.
Inedible materials
Yousuf has been living with dementia for 10 years and is cared for by his wife, Sara. Sara starts to observe her husband closely during the day. Recently, Sara notices that the soaps she put in the kitchen and bathroom have disappeared. She also notices that her husband is eating the flowers that she puts on the dining table. She sees Yousuf go to the kitchen and mistakenly pick up a soy sauce bottle and even a bottle of dishwashing detergent to drink.
