Eating Well with Dementia

Not everyone with Dementia has the same symptoms. This is a guide for families and carers of people living with Dementia to help support them with their eating and drinking.

Mealtimes are a social activity, so a person may enjoy the experience and be more likely to eat with others present.

Mealtime/preparation tips

• Try and provide a quiet calm atmosphere
• Serve one small course at a time and keep it simple
• Use plain plates, in a contrasting colour to the table
• Try serving food on a side plate so as not to appear too large a portion
• Use adapted cutlery/cups to help independence if required.

What to do if a person’s appetite is reduced

• Try offering six small snack meals instead of three main mealtimes, a little and often approach: Breakfast, Mid-Morning snack, Lunchtime, Mid-Afternoon snack, Evening Meal, Supper/Bedtime snack.
• Accept that behaviour around food may change. It doesn’t matter if dessert is eaten before the main course or an odd combination of food is mixed together.
• Try a wide variety of foods, as tastes may change or revert back to how they used to be when younger.
• Offer ‘finger foods’ eg. sausage rolls, fish fingers, pizza, sandwiches, crackers and cheese.
• Include high calorie snacks, such as sandwiches, rice pudding/custard pots, full fat creamy yoghurts, scone with butter/cream and jam and a biscuit selection.
• Try where possible not to use low fat alternatives.
• Use full fat milk in drinks and offer cups of milk or milky drinks (hot chocolate, malted drinks etc) through the day.
• Milk can be fortified with dried milk powder two to four tablespoons whisked into 1 pint/500mls of full cream milk. This can be made up in advance and kept in the fridge for 24 hours.
• Add a tablespoon of milk powder to milky drinks or puddings to increase the calories.
• Add a tablespoon of milk powder to soup if creamy soups are enjoyed.
• Add extra cream, butter, full fat/fortified milk to foods to increase calories eg potatoes mashed with butter and full fat milk and grated cheese can also be added.

Other useful tips

• Keep an eye on dental health and get regular check-ups. If wearing dentures make sure they don’t become loose causing sore gums.
• Keep an eye out for any swallowing difficulties eg coughing after a drink. Please speak to your GP if this happens as a referral to SLT (speech and language therapist) may be required.

Contact numbers

We hope that you have found this information useful. If you have any questions or are worried about anything, please speak to the following Dorset County Hospital staff:

Dietitian Department: 01305 254415

Useful websites

Dementia UK
www.dementiauk.org

About this leaflet

Author: Persephone Scotcher, Dietetic Assistant
Written: May 2020
Approved: July 2020
Review date: July 2023
Edition: v1

If you have feedback regarding the accuracy of the information contained in this leaflet, or if you would like a list of references used to develop this leaflet, please email patientinformation.leaflets@dchft.nhs.uk