NUTRIÇÃO PARA O IDOSO COM DEMÊNCIA

Nutrition for the elderly with dementia Good nutrition is also a constant concern for the elderly because of a series of factors, as listed below, can cause major weaknesses in the body has aged. They are: dental problems: lack of teeth, prosthetic old and ill-adjusted, and disease of the oral cavity and gums. Problems of swallowing: that is, to swallow, having trouble swallowing food more solid, due to diseases of the throat and esophagus. Loss or impairment of taste and smell (smell). Psycho-geriatric problems: mainly, depression, the sadness, the discouragement. the apathy and loneliness. Use of many medications, which can bring many side effects and loss of appetite and stomach problems such as heartburn and gastritis. Diseases common to the elderly, such as heart problems, the lungs, the stomach, the neurological, which also bring the loss of appetite as a result. Low purchasing power, say, retirement, where there are few financial resources to provide a good and varied diet. Who has not prepared meals, getting the elderly to choose the easiest food preparation and consumption in most rich in calories and sugar, low in vitamins and proteins. In the elderly with dementia, the act of feeding itself may be even more complicated, because the mental confusion and the difficulty of performing even the simplest tasks, such as "make your own plate" and take the fork to mouth, can generate stress, tiredness for him and their caregivers. Are compounded by the fact that with the advancement of the disease, the elderly increasingly have difficulty in chewing and swallowing of solid foods, which   may cause choking and coughing. Thus, it is important to observe the caregiver when the elderly stutters or cough, to eat, because it could be a starting frame of dysphagia (difficulty in swallowing), most common at a later stage of Alzheimer's disease. This will incur the possibility of exchanging food for a solid food more pasty and liquefied. The control of the weight of the elderly is important and should be done monthly. In Alzheimer's disease and other illnesses that lead to dementia in advanced stages, the elderly can make weight loss, slow and gradual, even with the correct and proper diet. Imagine having a bad diet and inadequate? So the whole process of the act of food must be well planned. Next, gather some important tips and easy to learn and implement, facilitate good interaction with the elderly: 1 - PREPARING THE FOOD We do not need to mention about the quality and preparation of danger, when this is done by the elderly, in the case mother, his aunt, the grandmother, since before starting the disease, who was made meals (and that tasty food!). If it is, then, the caregiver who prepares the food, you know the basic nutritional needs of the elderly? You cook well? Or eat pension, a kilo of food (in fashion)? On the design of the pyramid, below, we see that the food will be the basis of cereals, fiber and the masses, closely followed by fruits, vegetables and greens. Then, in smaller quantities, meat and dairy. And finally, oils, fats and sugar.   2 - TYPES OF FOOD If the elderly have good appetite, does not present trouble swallowing, is independent on the table, and is well and variadamente (meat, eggs, milk, cereals, vegetables, breads, juices, fruit .. .), Great! Now, it is a dependent elderly, who need help to eat, chokes easily, chew with difficulty, then the story changes. Remember where to establish diet pasty, we have variable it the most, not to cause malnutrition, particularly of proteins. To this end, the table below is a good guideline:   Pasty PROTEIN DIET RICH IN ANIMAL porridge: enrich the milk with fruit blender or wrinkled, egg yolk precooked or fruit jelly VITAMINS: add the milk, farinaceous based on whole grains, with or without sugar, bulk ice cream, milk powder . BEEF: blender and puree to add. PLANT hardwoods: add the puree to feculentos. GRAINS: feculentos prefer, prepared with corn (polenta, cream) or rice as pope. LEGUME: crumble with fork or pass on fine sieve. SOUPS: type creams, prepared in white sauce, made from legumes blender, or cornmeal with the addition of meat. Paese: so shelled; added to milk (pap), sweets or threads. CHEESES: creamy or in folders. FOR DESKTOP: Pavese, Moussa, puddings, sweet rice, curau, fruit or cooked into pulp. NET: milk or yogurt or fruit shakes with farinaceous, fruit juices and vegetables with the addition of farinaceous. * Borges, VC; Silva, MLT; Waitzberg, DL; Malnutrition and nutritional therapy in Alzheimer's DC. Brazilian Journal of Alzheimer's. 1997; 01: 09-13. 3 - THE BUREAU: It is important to keep the routine schedule and location of meals, preferably, along with all members of the family. Explain to the family that is easier for the elderly eat with the spoon than with the fork, thereby maintaining an understanding and respect. Show to the big old clock, so it's time to see letters bottles, and look understand who is hungry and it's time to sit at the table. Look to meals and varied, in small portions and easy to swallow. Example: 2 heaped tablespoons of rice, 2 bean (beaten), well cooked vegetables and minced into very small pieces, meat pieces and small. Targeting the elderly that we need to chew the food and solid (meat and rice) and can be   swallowed without problems hit the beans, vegetables squashed, the mashed potatoes ... Finally, the caregiver must have a lot of patience and good humor, so that this part of your work and care, that this part of the day, is good and pleasurable to the Aging and the entire family. 4 - LOOK: The old with dementia often do not realize that the food can be very hot or very cold, bitter or sour, or very little in quantity. It is therefore imperative that the caregiver and to note the evidence that the elderly will eat, ensuring that he is hurt or if intoxique. Even the perception of thirst is impaired in these patients so that they are in some cases with chronic dehydration. Give liquids during the day, varies: water, juices, tea, soft drinks ... 5 - AFTER MEALS: Always do the oral hygiene, brushing teeth, washing the dental, washing the oral cavity (mouth), not to leave remnants of food. The use of these new preparations of liquid dentifrice can help a lot. If the patient is bedridden or more impaired, the use of water with bicarbonate, and gauze soaked in a past with the fingers of the caregiver, in the oral cavity, can be very useful and preventive. Observe whether the dental prosthesis is in a good state of repair, if not hurt or is too loose. The periodic visits to the dentist, always help prevent a number of diseases of the teeth and gums.