Taking a Looooong Time to Finish a Meal?

I recently visited a lady whom the staff said was refusing to eat. She had been diagnosed with Dementia and was rapidly losing weight. Sadly, she had already lost the ability to communicate verbally by the time I saw her.

She was a beautiful, gentle soul trapped by her declining state.

We sat together with her lunchtime meal. Although she was silent, I sensed she was well aware of her surroundings and open to any help offered to her. She did not strike me as someone who was defiant nor unwilling to accept some guidance about her eating. She wanted to finish every meal.

As I began the feeding portion of the assessment, I paced her mouthfuls of food with the visible signs of her swallow, such as chewing, movement of her larynx, eye contact etc

As I had been advised by the staff, she refused the next mouthful I offered her. She clenched her jaw tightly, maintaining perfect eye contact throughout.

She wasn’t being defiant. Nor had she lost the ability to eat or drink. She was actually still swallowing the previous mouthful, taking time to move the food into position at the back of her mouth, in order to swallow it.

I paused, letting her know that I understood what was going on. ‘You’re still swallowing the last mouthful, aren’t you.’ I said. A look of relief and appreciation spread over her face.

We spent 2 hours together over that lunchtime meal. I gave her time to eat and drink according to her abilities.

Staff don’t have that luxury of time. However, time is often what these residents need.

Fortunately once the situation was explained to the nurse manager, we could put in place supports that enabled this gorgeous lady to eat and enjoy her meals, maintain her nutrition and gain weight.

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