I have been giving my dh drinks adding a food thickening agent. The one I use right now is Resource by Nestle. Has anyone tried the Hormel or Thick It brands? One packet only works on about 4 ozs of liquid. I also noticed that Hormel has other foods with thickening agents in them. I guess you have to order them on the internet. They seem to have corn starch in them. I wonder why we can't just use corn starch? Any thoughts?
Per my daughter (memory care specialist) thickening agents really should be ordered by a speech therapist. Many other modalities to be considered and degree of thickening should be ordered.
We have used Thick It but also found created problems with bowel as constipation. I have used rice baby cereal to thicken applesauce and some soups. Sorry your at this stage.nellie
MOorsb, we are at stage where dh has difficulty swallowing water. He gets strangled on thin liquids and soups. It thickens and is easier to swallow. Water is the most difficult without thickner.
brindle I use thick-it when I take food or beverage to my husband at the Nursing Home. I don't know what type thickner they use at the home but I do know it looks more like a thick blob of junk rather than food. I sometimes can't even tell what food they are giving him it is so thick.
The Thick-it is what Hospice ordered for us when we had him here at home.
Nellie, I envy you. I wish I could still care for my husband at home. You have help 7 days each week, tell me how often they come?????
Jane: yes I am blessed to have dh at home. I truly treaasure each time he is able to respond when I tell him I love him. He is bedbound except when we get him up for meals and he stays up until "leaning". That's my clue to place back in bed. I have help seven days week, 8 - 4 pm. I have been able to sell land to pay for helpers. Sometimes the help are a pain in the a--, mostly we do very well. Also as in previous post hospice has been very helpful and supportive. Dh is last stage and we have been on this rollercoaster ride since 2004. This group has also been very good.
nellie, your husband seems to be in the same stage of the disease that we are in, however we have been on the journey since 2000. I kept him home until 7 months ago and it got to be more than I could do. I had help but not 7 days each week, we would need 24/7 at this point.
We have a broda chair for my husband and that allows us to keep him up and out of bed longer. It is a specialty chair that will lay back or raise up with pads on each side to stop the leaning. He is in the last stage and has been considered in the last stage for at least 3 years. He cannot speak, has to be fed pureed food per speech path and is a high aspiration risk. has had aspiration pneumonia once back in August of this year.
There is one lady in the Nursing home whose husband comes each and every day to feed her, takes her home with him each Sunday, he is 80 years old and amazes me. She has had the disease 20 years and been very bad for many years, she cannot speak, walk, feed herself etc. Then we have another lady in the home whose husband had round the clock care for her at home for 3 years, she has been in the Nursing home 4 years and is totally bed bound. How awful is all this? Makes me want to cry.
Kadee Thank you for your comment. You don't know how many times I have thought of you, remembering when you brought your husband home from the facility, it was a good move for you and when you brought Hospice on board you at that time was surprised that he qualified but yet look what happened.
Jane, I was so lucky to be able to bring him home for the 7 last months of his life. I was very lucky to have Hospice on board. They were great to him & me.
Yes, Loving and compassionate you were Kadee, but I also say lucky or very fortunate, I was loving and compassionate as are many others and I still had to place my husband. Sometimes no matter what you do it happens.
Jane, I also hated when I placed my husband (still have some guilt feelings) I thought I should have been able to handle him...behavior problems prevented that. I was lucky that those behavior problems softened & I was able to bring him home, after a year. I wish it could have been sooner. I still cannot believe how fast he declined. I was told a year ago with his type of dementia, that this would occur, and that he had surpassed the time when it should have happen, but, I really didn't believe it.
I got some Thick It at the drugstore to try (they only keep 1 or 2 cans and are gone within a day). I think I have to use more than the Nestle thickener. Yes, water is not easy for dh to drink. He seems to have more issues at dinner time for some reason. These past few days, he has had a cold as well. One of the nurses that helped us before said to give a cough suppresent to help with mucous and the dr. said it was good for the night cough. I also have been using the vaporizer at night. I found that the meat baby foods are very high in protein (9 & 10 grams per serving). As for the bowels, this has been a constant issue so I think I have to decide which issue is worse the coughing and mucous that can cause the aspirant pneumonia or the constipation. I have to use at least two suppositories each time. The other day I had to also use the Fleets. Miralax only does so much. Scary to think that this could go on for so many years. Thanks for all of your input.
I have lots of luck with KanaBannana Flakes The med supply store carry it for use in feeding tubes. It is a good thickener and has a good taste to it. Hope this works for you. At one time you could purchase small pint cans but now you have to purchase a case. Maybe your nurse or med provider could get you a sample can to use.