2 9 5 6 4

8 6 7 3 1

dard meal serving. It might be changing the texture of the foods in a meal. Another helpful suggestion for increasing your wife’s calorie intake, since she is losing weight, is to add extra calories as healthy oils to her foods. Just a little bit of olive oil or canola oil can increase the calories in mashed potatoes or veggies quite a bit.

It may be that encouraging your wife to sip on a liquid supplement throughout the day will slow down her weight loss. One good hint for improving taste when offering liquid supplements, like Ensure and Sustacal, is to serve them chilled. You might also think about taking out your blender and creating some liquid meals on your own. If your wife becomes primarily dependent on liquid nutrition, it is best to use commercially-available supplements, since they are formulated so that four servings provide about 1000 calories and all the vitamins and minerals they need each day. Then, extra food calories can be

provided by other means to reach a caloric balance.

It is best to eat with your wife. True, depending upon the severity of the dementia, it can sometimes be a pretty messy experience. Break up the food and also try using finger foods. If you run out of ideas, speak with your R.D.N. You might try adding extra spices or herbs to make the food more highly flavored. Keeping the eating environment simple and peaceful is always a good idea too.

I remember that a friend of ours who had lost her appetite got some of it back by simply watching food shows on TV. So whatever works is fine; the possibilities are limitless.

Moving, moving, moving is

ART & FRAME

another very important way of stimulating appetite. Take your wife for a walk or stroll outside or just around the house. Sometimes putting on music with a strong beat can help with this.

Some medications taken by people with dementia may interact with food, so be aware of this. A high protein meal or specific vitamin and mineral supplements may interfere with the drug action of certain forms of levodopa. Check with your physician prior to using any vitamin, mineral or nutritional supplements.

+ What is the “No-Nonsense Nutrition” advice for today? The term dementia encompasses a broad spectrum of disorders. People with dementia exhibit a wide range of symptoms and nutrition issues. The very best thing you can do as a caregiver is to figure out the individual issues and seek out the specific health professional who can help you address each issue. Join a caregiver support group. You are not alone.

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