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Who are you caring for?
Which best describes their mobility?
How well are they maintaining their hygiene?
How are they managing their medications?
Does their living environment pose any safety concerns?
Fall risks, spoiled food, or other threats to wellbeing
Are they experiencing any memory loss?
Which best describes your loved one's social life?
Acknowledgment of Disclosures and Authorization
By proceeding, I agree that I understand the following disclosures:
I. How We Work in Washington. Based on your preferences, we provide you with information about one or more of our contracted senior living providers ("Participating Communities") and provide your Senior Living Care Information to Participating Communities. The Participating Communities may contact you directly regarding their services. APFM does not endorse or recommend any provider. It is your sole responsibility to select the appropriate care for yourself or your loved one. We work with both you and the Participating Communities in your search. We do not permit our Advisors to have an ownership interest in Participating Communities.
II. How We Are Paid. We do not charge you any fee – we are paid by the Participating Communities. Some Participating Communities pay us a percentage of the first month's standard rate for the rent and care services you select. We invoice these fees after the senior moves in.
III. When We Tour. APFM tours certain Participating Communities in Washington (typically more in metropolitan areas than in rural areas.) During the 12 month period prior to December 31, 2017, we toured 86.2% of Participating Communities with capacity for 20 or more residents.
IV. No Obligation or Commitment. You have no obligation to use or to continue to use our services. Because you pay no fee to us, you will never need to ask for a refund.
V. Complaints. Please contact our Family Feedback Line at (866) 584-7340 or ConsumerFeedback@aplaceformom.com to report any complaint. Consumers have many avenues to address a dispute with any referral service company, including the right to file a complaint with the Attorney General's office at: Consumer Protection Division, 800 5th Avenue, Ste. 2000, Seattle, 98104 or 800-551-4636.
VI. No Waiver of Your Rights. APFM does not (and may not) require or even ask consumers seeking senior housing or care services in Washington State to sign waivers of liability for losses of personal property or injury or to sign waivers of any rights established under law.I agree that: A.I authorize A Place For Mom ("APFM") to collect certain personal and contact detail information, as well as relevant health care information about me or from me about the senior family member or relative I am assisting ("Senior Living Care Information"). B.APFM may provide information to me electronically. My electronic signature on agreements and documents has the same effect as if I signed them in ink. C.APFM may send all communications to me electronically via e-mail or by access to an APFM web site. D.If I want a paper copy, I can print a copy of the Disclosures or download the Disclosures for my records. E.This E-Sign Acknowledgement and Authorization applies to these Disclosures and all future Disclosures related to APFM's services, unless I revoke my authorization. You may revoke this authorization in writing at any time (except where we have already disclosed information before receiving your revocation.) This authorization will expire after one year. F.You consent to APFM's reaching out to you using a phone system than can auto-dial numbers (we miss rotary phones, too!), but this consent is not required to use our service.
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Mostly Independent
Your loved one may not require home care or assisted living services at this time. However, continue to monitor their condition for changes and consider occasional in-home care services for help as needed.
Remember, this assessment is not a substitute for professional advice.
Share a few details and we will match you to trusted home care in your area:
Does she have acid reflux issues? This can irritate the throat. My mother will chew but won't swallow her food whenever she has an acid reflux issue - but she'll drink Boost or eat yogurt because it's cooling to the throat.
Also, bacterial and viral infections can affect the throat.
If she's willing, take her to the primary care doctor for to rule out infections or acid reflux issues or some other primary care issue going on. If she doesn't have these, then she may be suffering from muscle-nerve issues from dementia which affects chewing and swallowing by way of overall motor decline. The best way to address is by using food thickeners and pureeing the food.
Jan, if she's chewing for some time and then spitting, I suspect that she has a swallowing problem, perhaps dysphagia. (I'm assuming there are no issues with her teeth, or that she has dentures.) Is she coughing or choking? Is she losing weight?
I completely agree with Grammy. Ask her PCP, geriatrician, or even a pulmonologist if she has one to script for a videoscopic swallow exam. The speech pathologist will test your mother's ability to swallow a few different types of liquids and solid food.
It can be determined during the study if your mother is aspirating, or if the food is getting stuck someplace.
Also check the food she's eating. Is she having more trouble with meat, with chewy foods, with liquids? If it's meat, switch to ground meats - i.e., hamburger or sausage instead of steak or roast. Try to avoid crumby and crumbly foods - toast especially can release a lot of crumbs that can cause coughing. Fruits with seeds or skins are out.
If she does have dysphagia, a swallowing disorder, ask what level. Different levels require different diets.
You might have to alter the consistency of the food. Right now I'm pureeing all solid foods and vegetables (which are difficult to get to the right consistency) and thickening liquids. Many foods have been eliminated b/c they're too hard to my father to break down and swallow. But I've learned some tricks on adapting his favorite foods, so it's not entirely a mush mush diet. Lots of mush, yes, but I'm also pureeing some tasty mushy stuff like BBQ ribs.
Adding gravy, OJ or cider to some of the veggies and meats adds a bit of flavor and helps to reach the right pureed consistency.
If this is the situation, I'll also share some tips about purchasing pureed foods. They're outrageously expensive...about $9 for a 1 lb. can of pureed beef plus a high shipping fee brings it to about $15 for 1 pound of pureed beef. And: $1 for a 1 oz. MagicCup, which is something like thickened ice cream. I can only purchase them in 48 1 oz. packages at a cost of about $46.
I've researched as many sites as I could find for purchased pureed foods (and forget about baby foods - there's not much choice at all and it's also expensive) and resorted to pureeing Lean Cuisine and Stouffer's frozen meals as well as some portions of the Meals on Wheels Dad gets.
You should see about having a speech pathologist come and do a swallowing evaluation. I am lucky enough to have a daughter who is a speech pathologist and she does one periodically on my mom. My mom is still swallowing but has a delayed swallow. We have to watch carefully when she eats or drinks and prompt her to swallow. I tell her, swallow Mama and stroke her throat from top to bottom. The speech pathologist should do the evaluation and tell you what changes you need to make during feeding. Good luck
By proceeding, I agree that I understand the following disclosures:
I. How We Work in Washington.
Based on your preferences, we provide you with information about one or more of our contracted senior living providers ("Participating Communities") and provide your Senior Living Care Information to Participating Communities. The Participating Communities may contact you directly regarding their services.
APFM does not endorse or recommend any provider. It is your sole responsibility to select the appropriate care for yourself or your loved one. We work with both you and the Participating Communities in your search. We do not permit our Advisors to have an ownership interest in Participating Communities.
II. How We Are Paid.
We do not charge you any fee – we are paid by the Participating Communities. Some Participating Communities pay us a percentage of the first month's standard rate for the rent and care services you select. We invoice these fees after the senior moves in.
III. When We Tour.
APFM tours certain Participating Communities in Washington (typically more in metropolitan areas than in rural areas.) During the 12 month period prior to December 31, 2017, we toured 86.2% of Participating Communities with capacity for 20 or more residents.
IV. No Obligation or Commitment.
You have no obligation to use or to continue to use our services. Because you pay no fee to us, you will never need to ask for a refund.
V. Complaints.
Please contact our Family Feedback Line at (866) 584-7340 or ConsumerFeedback@aplaceformom.com to report any complaint. Consumers have many avenues to address a dispute with any referral service company, including the right to file a complaint with the Attorney General's office at: Consumer Protection Division, 800 5th Avenue, Ste. 2000, Seattle, 98104 or 800-551-4636.
VI. No Waiver of Your Rights.
APFM does not (and may not) require or even ask consumers seeking senior housing or care services in Washington State to sign waivers of liability for losses of personal property or injury or to sign waivers of any rights established under law.
I agree that:
A.
I authorize A Place For Mom ("APFM") to collect certain personal and contact detail information, as well as relevant health care information about me or from me about the senior family member or relative I am assisting ("Senior Living Care Information").
B.
APFM may provide information to me electronically. My electronic signature on agreements and documents has the same effect as if I signed them in ink.
C.
APFM may send all communications to me electronically via e-mail or by access to an APFM web site.
D.
If I want a paper copy, I can print a copy of the Disclosures or download the Disclosures for my records.
E.
This E-Sign Acknowledgement and Authorization applies to these Disclosures and all future Disclosures related to APFM's services, unless I revoke my authorization. You may revoke this authorization in writing at any time (except where we have already disclosed information before receiving your revocation.) This authorization will expire after one year.
F.
You consent to APFM's reaching out to you using a phone system than can auto-dial numbers (we miss rotary phones, too!), but this consent is not required to use our service.
Also, bacterial and viral infections can affect the throat.
If she's willing, take her to the primary care doctor for to rule out infections or acid reflux issues or some other primary care issue going on. If she doesn't have these, then she may be suffering from muscle-nerve issues from dementia which affects chewing and swallowing by way of overall motor decline. The best way to address is by using food thickeners and pureeing the food.
I completely agree with Grammy. Ask her PCP, geriatrician, or even a pulmonologist if she has one to script for a videoscopic swallow exam. The speech pathologist will test your mother's ability to swallow a few different types of liquids and solid food.
It can be determined during the study if your mother is aspirating, or if the food is getting stuck someplace.
Also check the food she's eating. Is she having more trouble with meat, with chewy foods, with liquids? If it's meat, switch to ground meats - i.e., hamburger or sausage instead of steak or roast. Try to avoid crumby and crumbly foods - toast especially can release a lot of crumbs that can cause coughing. Fruits with seeds or skins are out.
If she does have dysphagia, a swallowing disorder, ask what level. Different levels require different diets.
You might have to alter the consistency of the food. Right now I'm pureeing all solid foods and vegetables (which are difficult to get to the right consistency) and thickening liquids. Many foods have been eliminated b/c they're too hard to my father to break down and swallow. But I've learned some tricks on adapting his favorite foods, so it's not entirely a mush mush diet. Lots of mush, yes, but I'm also pureeing some tasty mushy stuff like BBQ ribs.
Adding gravy, OJ or cider to some of the veggies and meats adds a bit of flavor and helps to reach the right pureed consistency.
If this is the situation, I'll also share some tips about purchasing pureed foods. They're outrageously expensive...about $9 for a 1 lb. can of pureed beef plus a high shipping fee brings it to about $15 for 1 pound of pureed beef. And: $1 for a 1 oz. MagicCup, which is something like thickened ice cream. I can only purchase them in 48 1 oz. packages at a cost of about $46.
I've researched as many sites as I could find for purchased pureed foods (and forget about baby foods - there's not much choice at all and it's also expensive) and resorted to pureeing Lean Cuisine and Stouffer's frozen meals as well as some portions of the Meals on Wheels Dad gets.