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The Subtle Signs of Swallowing Problems for Those with Dementia and Other Diseases

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How does swallowing actually occur?

The oral phase of swallowing requires a complex interplay of chewing, food bolus formation, and push of the bolus to the back of the throat for the process of swallowing and movement to the esophagus and stomach. Multiple facial and oral muscles, such as the tongue, are responsible for this phase. Once the food bolus is to the back of the throat a series of muscular contractions occur to move the bolus into the esophagus and away from the airway. The airway is temporarily closed as the food bolus is pushed past the tracheal opening and into the esophagus. The food bolus then makes its way to the stomach through another series of coordinated muscular contractions within the esophagus.

Sounds Complicated Right? It is and lots can go wrong..

Due to the complexity of the swallow mechanism, a multitude of problems that can arise. The most common cause of oral dysphagia (swallowing trouble) is stroke, with up to 45 percent of stroke patients develop swallowing problems following the stroke. Other neurological diseases such as Parkinson’s disease, Multiple Sclerosis, Dementia, and Alzheimer’s disease are known to cause swallowing difficulties. Lesions, re flux conditions, and cancer have also caused swallowing troubles but to a lesser extent.

There are obvious and less obvious signs of swallowing difficulties…

Everyone knows that if a person coughs up food or gags while eating, they likely have swallowing troubles. However there are other more subtle signs that can go easily unnoticed such as long breaks between bites, being horse, drooling, frequent heartburn,  and acid re-flux.

What can happen if these subtle signs are ignored?

If subtle signs are ignored they can result in choking, where food partially or fully obstructs a person’s airway, aspiration or inhalation of food or liquids, oral secretions or gastric secretions into the airway and lungs. Also gastric secretions may be inhaled without bacteria causing aspiration pneumonia. A person may aspirate not only food or fluids that are introduced into the mouth but also their own saliva or any gastric secretions, which may be re-fluxed into the airway.

What can be done?

In a community setting, all care partners must be trained to carefully observe each resident for not blatant signs such as chocking, but for the subtle signs such as drooling, and long pauses and usually get confused for something other than swallowing challenges. When a person lives alone, the signs of swallowing trouble usually go ignored until they end up in the hospital. In many setting, little attention is paid to dining room observation. Orchard at Tucker understands the importance of monitoring these subtle symptoms and finding the problem while it is minor,Nutella-Stuffed-French-Toast-with-Strawberries and before it causes a resident irreversible harm.

Transition Care Giving is Essential in Dementia Care

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Transition and change in general is hard on everyone…

Have you ever moved into a new house? Started a new job? If you answered yes than you can recall your first week.  Do you recall how stressed out you were with the change? Change of location, change of routine is hard on everyone, however having Dementia and Alzheimer’s makes change about 10 times harder.

Transitioning While Having Dementia? About as Hard as Sky Diving While Being Afraid of Heights..

Dealing with an aging loved one that has dementia or Alzheimer’s can be very stressful, especially when it is time to move that senior into an Assisted Living or Memory Care Community. Many families see how important a familiar environment is to their loved one. Being in a familiar place with a familiar daily routine is something that many with Dementia come to rely on. Families worry about the stress that can happen with their loved one during the transition. Stress is escalated in seniors whose cognitive capacity is limited by their Dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. This is a very real fear. Depending on the progression of disease, changes can be very upsetting and disruptive to the patient. Seniors suffering with progressive degenerative brain disease cannot frame their fears and anxiety with logic, as the rest of us can.  A change in environment can often cause tremendous stress for the senior.

What is Transitional Care?

A private duty caregiver meets the senior prior to the move into a community and accompanies them to the community. The caregiver than spends between 4-12 hours each day for 3-14 days with the senior. They accompany them to activities and trips. The caregiver helps a senior learn their new environment. The caregiver stays with the resident for the scheduled hours. The caregiver is there at arm’s length if a senior gets anxious, confused, or stressed out. The amount of hours and days of transitional care depends on the seniors’ cognitive level,  as well as their stress and anxiety threshold.

Why is Transitional Care Important?

Many seniors whose cognitive abilities are hampered by Dementia and Alzheimer’s, have heightened levels of anxiety. They also experience higher levels of stress in many situations. They also retain less new information, which makes change this much harder. The transitional care giver is there to help lessen the stress of transition by being there with the senior to guide them one on one. Once the senior is settled in their new home, the caregiver remains a part of their care plan until they have become accustomed to their new surroundings.  A transitional care taker may start out by spending 12 hours with the senior for the first 3 days. After the 3 days, they spend 8 hours for the next 4 days. After the first 7 days, the hours go to 4 hours for the next 3 days. After that the hours go to 4 hours a week. Each senior is different, however it is recommended that transitional care giver hours get cut slowly based on the seniors’ needs. It usually takes about 30 days to get adjusted to a new community and getting a transitional caregiver involved softens that blow.

Do Communities Offer Transitional Care?

Some corporate giants like Brookdale do have their own agencies. Most smaller companies partner with an agency so that transitional care is provided by a caregiver that is not employed by the company. Orchard Senior Living now has a sister company Peach Home Care which provides transitional caregivers and private duty caregivers to residents.

Dementia Care Combined with Comprehensive Nutrition Care

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What is Comprehensive Nutrition Care?

Comprehensive Nutrition Care is a creative and comprehensive way to provide care. It takes a complete approach to nutrition care with the purpose of supporting individuals with chronic or life-threatening disease, and healthcare providers who support them, to better manage their health through optimal nutrition.

Why is Nutrition Care Needed for Dementia Care?

Eating and enjoying a meal is part of our everyday life and important to everybody, not least to people living with dementia. A healthy diet and nutrition is fundamental to well being at any stage of life and to helping to combat other life-threatening diseases. We believe it plays as important a role in relation to dementia progression, and a resident’s quality of life. Under nutrition is common among older people generally, particularly common among people with dementia. Under nutrition tends to be progressive, with weight loss often preceding the onset of dementia and then increasing in pace as the disease progresses.

In what ways are the elderly susceptible?

  1. Age related changes in the gastrointestinal tract combined with changes in diet and immune system reactivity affect the composition of gut microbiota, leading to increased numbers of bad bacteria, decreased number of beneficial bacteria such as anaerobic lactobacilli and bifidobacteria.
  2. Osteoporosis is a disease which is characterized by decreasing bone density and increasing fragility of bones due to microexps21585_THCA153054D10_15_4b-architectural deterioration which increases the risk of fracture. Osteoporosis is exacerbated by malnutrition, low weight, poor intake of vitamin D and calcium, and in women, low levels of sex hormones.
  3. Older people need higher quantities of some nutrients, for example, calcium, vitamin D and vitamin B12 due to dementia and other physiological changes making absorption of nutrients more difficult. Studies show that calcium, vitamin D, folate, iron and vitamin B12 are the most important micro nutrients in which deficiencies commonly occur in older people.
  4. Physiological changes to the digestive system affect appetite which can affect nutrient intake. Protein energy malnutrition is common among older people with estimates that 1 in 10 people over 65 living in the community are malnourished. These numbers triple for the elderly with dementia.

     

How to Prevent Malnutrition in the Elderly with Dementia?

In order to prevent malnutrition in an elderly person with dementia, functional foods need to be added to their diet. Due to the age related changes that can make it more difficult for older people to obtain the nutrients they need from their diet, functional foods can have a role to play in improving nutrient intake.

What is a Functional Food?

Functional food is a conventional food product modified in some way to give a health benefit above and beyond basic nutrition. Functional foods can also be designed to fight a certain health condition. Functional foods are generally considered to be those food products which provide a specific health benefit over and above their basic/traditional nutritional value. Examples of functional foods are breakfast cereals with folic acid, yogurt with additional probiotic, vitamin D and calcium fortified orange juice are just a few examples.

The Takeaway..

An elderly person with dementia that has lost weight and is exhibiting symptoms of malnutrition, needs abundant additional assistance to get out of the malnutrition danger zone. Because of the chemical and physical changes, nutrition therapy may be the only option to help them stay healthy and thrive. Nutrition Therapy is a daily ongoing person centered care program that can change lives.

 

Reasons to Move to an Assisted Living Community

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Thinking about making the move to an assisted living community in Decatur? Here are our reasons why moving to the Orchard might be right for you or your loved one.

No More Home Maintenance Troubles
Say goodbye to the days of calling a handyman or plumber that leave you with an expensive bill. No more raking leaves in the fall or watering outdoor plants and grass in the summer. Home maintenance can become a sizable and costly burden that’s all lifted once moved to an assisted living community.

Chauffeured Around Town
You may not get a private chauffeur, but you do get transportation to and from your important appointments like doctor or dental visits. Transportation is also provided to group activities outside of the community including restaurants and local events.

Activities Galore
Some can compare it to being on a cruise because activities play a large part in daily life at Orchard assisted living community. Seniors can enjoy staying active doing those activities that interest them most. Activities can include movie nights, arts and crafts, exercise classes and more.

Safety First
It’s nice to know that help is available 24/7 at the Orchard. We are equipped with safety bars, ramps, emergency alert systems and staff trained in emergency response. You can take comfort in knowing that the appropriate precautions have been taken to reduce the risk of dangerous falls and to keep your loved one as safe as possible.

If you or your loved one is considering a move to a senior living community, such as an assisted living facility contact The Orchard here.

5 Healthy Hobbies for Seniors

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senior-hobbies-5Mental and social activities are just as critical as physical activities when it comes to ageing. And hobbies are an excellent way for seniors to become more active and engaged, which can improve their overall happiness. Here are a few of the Orchard activities and hobbies available:

1. Creating Art
Art is a great way to keep the brain stimulated and one of the best activities seniors can practice. Art can be especially beneficial when done in a social setting with friends and family. Art projects can include painting, knitting, sewing, scrapbooking, or photography. Here at Orchard, we have numerous artistic activities for your loved one to participate in and a dedicated crafts area.

2. Playing Cards and Games
Your loved one can join in at the Orchard game room for fun activities and friendly competition. Participating in games and playing cards can both help keep your loved one’s mind sharp. Sudoku and crossword puzzles are also great ways to keep the brain fit.

3. Gardening
Gardening is a rewarding experience that is not only enjoyable but has many health and therapeutic benefits. It encourages independence while also increasing mobility and flexibility. Our Garden Club meets and plants herbs and flowers every week to keep the garden and your loved one healthy and growing.

4. Golfing
Orchard has an excellent putting green that’s great for both enthusiastic golfers and those who want to learn. Golf has many benefits, for example, improving flexibility, hand-eye coordination, and overall satisfaction.senio

5. Socialising
This is the most important hobby to list, conversing and socialising with others is essential to happiness and the Orchard Difference means that we are dedicated to your loved one’s happiness. We have weekly and monthly calendars full of activities, on/off grounds, that develop conversations and bonds between residents.

If you are looking for an assisted living home in the Tucker, Georgia area or just want to ask questions about what we offer and the Orchard Difference give us a call at 770-938-5600 or contact us here.

Caring Tips for Sundowners Syndrome

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Sleeping problems occur in almost all people with mental disorders, including those with Alzheimer’s or dementia. Sleep determines our ability to do daily functions and maintain our physical/mental health. Many people believe that a difficulty sleeping is the center of the problem.

Sundowners describes an increase in behavior problems usually in the late afternoon and early evening. People may show signs of increased confusion, anxiety, straying, hallucinations and general disorientation. For those living with or caring for someone exhibiting “sundowning” symptoms, it can be frustrating to experience.

Once a routine is in place, life becomes easier when caring for someone with Sundowners Syndrome. Not all of these ideas will work for everyone; through experimentation, you may find the right one for your circumstance.

Care Tips for Sundowners Syndrome:

  • Allow for light in the morning to help establish an internal clock.
  • Daytime napping should be minimized to help regulate their sleeping cycle.
  • Encourage exercise to help expend excess energy.
  • Limit caffeine intake in the afternoon.
  • Create a private place just for decompressing.
  • Music or sounds like waves or birds can be soothing.
  • Consider purchasing a bedside commode frequently getting up and down can make it hard to get back to sleep.
  • Keep a comfortable temperature in the bedroom to avoid disruption during sleep.

Frustration for family members and caregivers is not uncommon when dealing with loved ones experiencing episodes of Sundowners. Outbursts and odd demands are not unusual, requiring absolute patience on the part of family members and caregivers to make it through this. Following these tips above may bring comfort back into your life. If you need additional assistance, contact us to experience the Orchard difference. 

Orchard at Tucker features 20,000 sf of enclosed secured outdoor space for residents and families

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Secure, Enclosed Outdoor Space is one of the best amenities in Assisted Living and Memory.  Vitamin D is necessary for everyone, but according to WebMD and other reputable sources it is crucial

Tucker Assisted Living

Orchard at Tucker Assisted Living & Memory Care featuring 20,000 sf enclosed garden for seniors.