If Alzheimer’s disease is a part of your elderly care journey with your aging parent, you might find that meal times are more challenging that you anticipated. Many people think only of the memory loss and cognitive challenges that come along with this disease and do not realize how pervasive these challenges can truly be. The truth is that many aging adults with Alzheimer’s disease will start experiencing problems with eating in the moderate stages of the disease and these challenges will only worsen. Eventually the senior may not be able to eat normal foods at all. Addressing these issues as promptly and effectively as possible is essential to helping your parent maintain independence and get continue getting the nutrition that he needs.

The first step in helping your parent cope with challenges eating that may come with Alzheimer’s disease is understanding why these issues happen in the first place. There are several factors that could contribute to your parent having greater challenges eating. Recognizing which of these factors could be at play makes it easier for you to find resolutions that enable your parent to maintain as much independence in eating as he can and keep his nutritional intake high.

Some of the factors that can contribute to your aging parent with Alzheimer’s disease having difficulty eating include:

• Not remembering why. Depending on how far in the progression of the disease he is, your parent might not remember why he needs to eat. He might recognize that he is feeling the discomfort of hunger pangs, but not know what they are. This means that he may be less likely to actually initiate eating.
• Mouth pain. Dental problems are common among elderly adults. Seniors with Alzheimer’s disease, however, may not be able to properly express this pain. Your loved one might not be able to tell you that it hurts when he bites and chews, but it keeps him from eating.
• Swallowing challenges. Many aging adults, especially those coping with Alzheimer’s disease have difficulty swallowing. This may make it so that they get frightened or frustrated when they are trying to eat, and simply no longer want to try.
• Not recognizing foods. The cognitive changes that come with Alzheimer’s disease can make it more difficult for your aging parent to recognize foods. He might not be able to recognize individual foods, or may have trouble differentiating between the food and the plate or bowl that it is on. This might make it confusing or intimidating for him to attempt to eat.
• No longer enjoying food. Decreased sense of taste and smell are common among aging adults with Alzheimer’s disease. These issues can make your parent enjoy eating less. Because he does not recognize his hunger pangs or understand his need to eat, not enjoying food means that he is unlikely to eat as often or as much as he should. He may also turn to heavily flavored foods that are less than healthy because they are more enjoyable.