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As people grow older, there are specific actions that can seem like nothing more than quirks. What we don’t realize is that there are reasons behind each of these actions—things that have a deeper meaning to them. So if your elderly parent seems to frequently hold food in their mouth, it may indicate a serious medical issue.
Elderly people often hold food in their mouths because of a decline in physical and mental functions, such as weakening teeth and throat muscles and forgetfulness. These issues lead to dysphagia and the consequent “pocketing,” or the act of storing food in the mouth.
This article will discuss why elderly people hold food in their mouths, the associated risks, and some treatment options.
Reasons Why Elderly People Hold Food in Their Mouths
Elderly people need enough nutrients to stay healthy. However, although eating seems like one of the most basic activities every human being does several times a day, it can change as people age.
When you notice your elderly parents pocketing their food in their mouth and taking a long time to swallow, it can be worrisome—or even frustrating. Before showing your frustration, it helps to understand why your parents do so to better address the situation.
Forgetfulness
Dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, and other conditions affecting one’s memories can occur at any age but are more common among elderly people. They can also have varying effects on every individual.
Sometimes, people with such conditions can space out and forget even simple activities, such as chewing or swallowing food, resulting in pocketing. A gentle reminder can often help them get back to chewing and finishing their food.
And it’s not just with eating; people with dementia need a lot of attention and engagement to go through their daily activities. As such, if you can’t allocate that much time, it’s often advisable to find them an assisted living opportunity. [How To Convince Dementia Patients To Get Assisted Living]
However, if you find your elderly parent struggling to swallow the food, it’s possible that some other health issues are at play.
Physical Changes Due to Aging
As adults get older, teeth can become weak or even fall out. The throat becomes less moist, and the mucosal surfaces in the mouth do as well. There’s also some loss of strength in the throat and mouth, making it far more difficult to swallow.
With time and aging, there can also be changes in the esophagus’ structure. When that happens, food can get stuck and even regurgitated.
These disorders can sometimes be corrected through surgical intervention, so the earlier they can be identified, the better things will go.
Declining Mental Health
All the symptoms mentioned above can also indicate that dysphagia is at play. The condition is common among elderly people, as they develop issues with neural control that have an impact on the swallowing process.
Depending on which portion of the brain is affected, there can be a decline in the brain’s ability to send sensory and motor signals to initiate the chewing and swallowing processes. This, in turn, makes it far more challenging for older adults to eat, chew, and swallow.
A few key indicators will tell you if your elderly loved one is dealing with dysphagia. There are a few observable signs that can indicate a problem is at hand. These signs include things like:
- Coughing while drinking or eating
- Difficulty swallowing
- Regularly choking
- Pocketing food
- A gurgly voice in the wake of drinking or eating
The physician will ask a few standard questions about all of these issues. It can help to indicate whether dysphagia is possible. Generally, the patient will also be asked to swallow modified barium, a thin liquid, and something small like a piece of cracker or cookie.
The physician will also take a video and an x-ray of the process to determine where the issue occurs.
Is It Dangerous for Elderly People to Hold Food in Their Mouths?
Proper nutrition is needed to ensure that we get the nutrients necessary to live a healthy life. When there are substantial changes to things like swallowing, often exacerbated by dysphagia, it can raise issues with diet and safety at large.
Poor nutrition can lead to:
- Loss of appetite
- Weight loss
- Dehydration
- A loss of enjoyment while eating
- The risk of choking on food that gets stuck in the airways
The latter can happen at any moment, making it a significant cause for concern every time someone with dysphagia eats. Since our bodies are nowhere near as healthy as we age, regularly choking because of dysphagia can lead to further issues.
For many elderly patients, dysphagia can stay mild for long periods, as the changes in the esophagus that impact the ability to swallow occur gradually. Nonetheless, it’s crucial to recognize and address them to prevent them from escalating to life-threatening situations.
7 Reasons Why Caring for Elderly Parents Is So Hard
Potential Treatment Options
The good news is that there are potential treatment options available for dysphagia. Working with a registered dietician and a speech-language therapist is an excellent start. Those professionals work with elderly patients to help improve their swallowing.
Using strengthening exercises, adaptive devices, electrical stimulation, and compensatory techniques can all prove beneficial. The goal is to ensure that the elderly patient can get the nutrients they need without the risk of frequent choking.
A speech therapist, in particular, will make recommendations that include posture, positional changes, and swallowing exercises to strengthen those muscles. Opening the airways can improve the ability to swallow.
A dietician can work with the elderly patient to recommend foods that are nutritionally appropriate but easier to eat. If the patient struggles with certain types of food, the dietician may adjust the recommendations to compensate through foods that aren’t as difficult to swallow.
Getting to a point where pureed or softened foods are necessary can lead to issues. For the most part, patients who receive them are often unhappy with their food options. It can also affect their moods and overall behavior.
Because of this, they eat less or turn to things like milkshakes, puddings, and ice creams. The problem with such food items is that they’re generally high in sugar and low in essential nutrients.
The inability to get the proper nutrients can lead to serious dietary problems, such as:
- Compromising their ability to properly heal
- Causing undesired weight loss
- Hastening certain diseases, such as diabetes or hypertension
All of these things can potentially become life-threatening for elderly patients.
It’s a delicate balancing act to find the appropriate diet where swallowing issues are concerned.
Working with the dietician, in particular, is recommended because they have a more profound knowledge of the appropriate options. They can work with elderly patients to find the best choices available while also providing foods that are easier to eat.
All these can help reduce the risk of choking from the pocketing of food and any other issues that come with dysphagia.
Conclusion
Though it may seem like nothing of concern, chewing and swallowing issues can cause major trouble for elderly people. Recognizing the signs—like pocketing—can indicate that swallowing is more difficult and that there may be a neurological reason behind it.
Talk to your loved one’s physician as soon as you notice this happening. Ignoring the issue could lead to potential choking hazards. They can be avoided with a little bit of medical intervention, so be aware.
Of course, monitoring our loved one’s eating habits is one facet of eldercare. Another aspect we shouldn’t overlook is helping them maintain their independence, including communication. Jitterbug devices by Lively can be instrumental in this area. These user-friendly phones and medical alert devices not only offer easy ways for our elderly family members to keep in touch, but they also provide an emergency button for instant help. This means even if we can’t be around all the time, they have immediate support at their fingertips. Want to learn more? Explore the Jitterbug range here.
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