I just got a call today from my mom’s nursing home. They said they were starting her on a puréed food diet because she has not been chewing, but swallowing food whole. They also said she had a choking episode today due to this. I’ve read about the swallowing stopping, but not chewing while the swallowing ability was still active. Has anyone else experienced this with their loved one? I’m just trying to see if I can maybe find out what to expect next.
Mom ended up having a swallow study done. Nothing too alarming, except she is aspirating water and other thin liquids. Has a 2-3 second swallow delay and overall oral weakness. I have actually signed her up for hospice today. Not just because of that, but her overall decline. I think they accepted her because the chaplain called me today as well.
It was my mom's undoing. They missed it till she couldn't even swallow a drink. I wasn't there, and I'll never get over it.
Best of luck to you!
Just a few sueestions if she has dentures
puree I would want to explore whether she can manage at a lesser level. My mom started choking on meat years before she needed a fully altered diet, (generally meat is the first thing that causes problems with dysphagia because it is the densest and most difficult to chew into the consistency that makes swallowing easy. Providing finely ground moist meats along with a regular diet would be the beginning stage for many, minced moist everything would be the next level before full puree. The sticking point at my mom's nursing home was the "moist" part of the equation, they consistently served foods that had the consistency of dry sawdust🙄. Ask to have her evaluated by a speech and language pathologist, and also look for any dental issues that might effect her chewing ability.