Feeding Your Clients

Food has an important role in your clients’ health.  People who eat a balanced diet have a better shot at avoiding new illnesses or fighting off the diseases they already have!  But, mealtime is about more than nutrition.  For most people, meals are a pleasant time of day, spent with friends or family.  

Some of your clients may still find mealtime enjoyable.  Others may have lost the desire or ability to enjoy the company of others during mealtime.  Whether there is a physical problem or an emotional one, clients who eat poorly need your time, your understanding, and your attention. 

But, be careful!  Mealtime can be a little tricky!  You have to juggle two very important issues.

• First, your clients need to get enough food to eat to stay physically healthy.  And, without your help, they may not get the nutrition they need.
• Second, your clients need to be as independent as possible to stay emotionally healthy.  If you do too much for them, they may feel helpless and lose the desire to care for themselves.

Your goal is to balance these two needs for each of your clients. 

WHAT CAN GO WRONG DURING THE EATING PROCESS?

1. INTAKE: There may be a problem with the teeth, gums, or tongue that prevents chewing or makes it difficult.  Decreased saliva production can make food difficult to soften and swallow. 
2. PROPULSION: There may be a problem with the swallowing reflex that increases the risk of choking.  Or, forward motion may stop or slow, causing food to flow backward (from the stomach up through the esophagus).  A chronic back flow of small amounts of stomach contents into the esophagus is known as acid reflux.
3. DIGESTION: Digestion can be affected by gastritis (irritation of the lining of the stomach) which can cause nausea or vomiting.  There may also be a problem with the gallbladderwhich produces a fluid that helps digest fats.  And, there may be digestion problems related to food allergies like lactose intolerance.  People who are lactose intolerant are unable to digest        milk products.
4. ABSORPTION: Disorders like Crohn’s, Celiac disease  or even a viral illness can cause food to move too quickly though the intestines to be absorbed.  Watery diarrhea, cramping, bloating, and weight loss are all symptoms of poor absorption.
5. ELIMINATION: Constipation or fecal impaction can prevent the leftover wastes from exiting the body.