Alzheimer's Patient Refuses to Eat

Eating always serves as a time for people to join together and socially connect. Older people, however, often suffer from a lessened sense of taste and smell and experience a limited appetite (NIA, 2006). When a patient has mental disabilities, mealtime can become severely limited. Recently, a patient diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease decided to stop eating meals. The caregivers were challenged with finding a solution that would respect their remaining capabilities and avoid force-feeding them. As a supervisor, I would extend ongoing support to the nurse for solutions such as encouraging limited exercise and evaluating side effects of current medications were considered (Smith, Russell, & White, 2014). Nothing seemed to work. The following paper describes an analysis of the procedures implemented by nurses in search of a valid solution.

The nurse, Jackie, set out with confidence. Although some tactics had already been used, she did some quick research, discovering that working to make meals more agreeable through music and even flowers could serve to motivate eating during meals (Smith et al., 2014). Since the patient had lost many of their speaking abilities, Jackie contacted the immediate family of the patient to find particular music they liked. She discovered that the patient was a major jazz fan and located a recording of Sonny Rollins' iconic album, The Bridge. Further alternatives were also considered. Jackie arranged meals to include more finger foods so that the patient no longer had to concern themself with utensils (NIA, 2006). The results, nevertheless, were sporadic.

As the situation regressed, Jackie was placed in a position where she had to adapt to the environment. On some days, the music alone provided the perfect solution while on others, nothing seemed to console the patient. Although she did not completely understand the situation, she worked hard to stay engaged in her efforts to find a solution. Combinations of the typical answers provided varying results, and Jackie began to more clearly understand that creative application of the usual practice would make a good solution. She was consistent with meal times and always served the food from the same side of the table (NIA, 2006). Above all, Jackie relied on her years of experience to intuitively respond to the patients’ needs on a daily basis, above all, with an open-minded attitude. Keeping the patient motivated to eat was not an automatic formula, but with consistent efforts, small improvements came. The patient would miss not having their bite-size sandwiches. A meal without the music of Sonny Rollins was cause for complaint.

The supervisors in charge of Jackie's unit recognized that improvements were being made as they monitored the progress of the patient. Compared to when the patient had arrived, major advancements had been made. Jackie realized that there had been a successive process of breaking down the situation to more clearly understand what the specific needs and interests of the patient were. Applying some standard formula was not enough; rather, she had undergone a process of synthesizing the patient background (through the help of the family) and considering professionally applicable standards for improving the situation. The end result was a success.

By upholding applicable standards to the treatment of Alzheimer's patients, Jackie managed to bring the patient back to healthy eating habit through the process of considering the similarities and differences of the patient issue with standard protocols. It is important to note that she did not gather all possible information, instead relying on her experience and research ability to gather just enough information to achieve the desired result. The result was self-evident; while the patient's mental capacities never fully recovered, their eating habits and quality of living were sustained thanks to the care and educated execution of healthcare protocol. Often, Alzheimer's patients lose motor skills and the ability to function in menial tasks. Jackie's knowledge ultimately succeeded in making the best of a difficult situation.

References

National Institute on Aging (NIA). (2006). Encouraging eating: Advice for at-home dementia caregivers. Retrieved from http://www.nia.nih.gov/ alzheimers/features/encouraging-eating-advice-home-dementia-caregivers

Smith, M., Russell, D., & White, M. (2014, February 1). Alzheimer's behavior management. HELPGUIDE. Retrieved from http://www.helpguide.org/elder/ alzheimers_behavior_problems.html