Tiredness and concentration – tiredness can cause people with dementia to not eat or give up partway through a meal. It can also lead to other difficulties such as problems with concentration or with co-ordination. People with dementia may have difficulties focusing on a meal all the way through.
In the end stages of dementia (in the last few months or weeks of life), the person's food and fluid intake tends to decrease slowly over time. The body adjusts to this slowing down process and the reduced intake.
For some, changes in the parts of the brain that control swallowing mean that they have trouble getting food down. For others, dysphagia or muscle weakness make swallowing difficult as well. Mouth sores, which are a common problem for patients with dementia, can also make it unpleasant or even painful to eat and drink.
As a result of discontinuing eating, patients can die in as early as a few days. For most people, this period without food usually lasts about 10 days, but in rare instances, it can last several weeks.
At the same time, two other important physical cues diminish. The cues for HUNGER and THIRST are lost as part of the progression of dementia. The hypothalamus becomes compromised, and hunger recognition diminishes. So they don't feel hungry.
The physical changes of late-stage dementia are partly why the person is likely to need much more support with daily living. At this stage they may: walk more slowly, with a shuffle and less steadily – eventually they may spend more time in a chair or in bed. be at increased risk of falls.
This can be exhausting and often leaves the person feeling like they haven't slept at all, so they are very tired and sleepy during the day. It can be hard to stay awake during the day after a poor night's sleep but, if possible, it's best to try to limit sleep during the day to small bursts or 'catnaps'.
One of the most common problems that we see in End-Stage Dementia is significant weight loss, loss of appetite, and dehydration.
If you know someone who stops eating or drinking, the first thing you should do is make sure they visit their doctor to check if there are any underlying issues that might cause the change. Don't force the patient to eat or drink, as that can end up causing even more damage.
If the person's mental abilities or behaviour changes suddenly over a day or two, they may have developed a separate health problem. For example, a sudden deterioration or change may be a sign that an infection has led to delirium. Or it may suggest that someone has had a stroke.
Forcing your loved one to eat is not an option, however, since they may choke or accidentally inhale food into their lungs.
Introduction: The five-word test (5WT) is a serial verbal memory test with semantic cuing. It is proposed to rapidly evaluate memory of aging people and has previously shown its sensitivity and its specificity in identifying patients with AD.
People with dementia think about the same things that any human thinks about — emotions, relationships, daily life, tasks to accomplish, and more. However, dementia can change how you interact with the world because of its physical, mental, and emotional effects.
Don't correct, contradict, blame or insist. Reminders are rarely kind. They tell a person how disabled they are – over and over again. People living with dementia say and do normal things for someone with memory impairment.
Often when a person with dementia asks to go home it refers to the sense of 'home' rather than home itself. 'Home' may represent memories of a time or place that was comfortable and secure and where they felt relaxed and happier. It could also be an indefinable place that may not physically exist.
Some people with dementia may forget that they've recently eaten or be concerned about when the next meal is coming.
Eating and drinking
A person with dementia may begin to develop changes in how they experience flavour. They may start to enjoy flavours they never liked before, or dislike foods they always liked. Sometimes people with dementia make food choices that don't match their usual beliefs or preferences.
Severe pocketing. Your loved one may not chew food at all, or may allow foods and liquids to drip out of their mouth, or drip back towards their throat. Towards the end of life, your loved one may stop swallowing altogether. They may not feel hunger or thirst anymore.
People with dementia often rely on their routines as a source of comfort. A daily routine helps a person know what to expect. This means that a sudden disruption in routine may cause dementia symptoms to get worse. This is especially true if a person experiences stress.
In the middle stage of dementia, symptoms become more noticeable and the person will need more support in managing daily life. This stage of dementia is often the longest. On average it lasts about two to four years.