- This topic has 4 replies, 4 voices, and was last updated 6 years, 6 months ago by
.
-
Posts
-
This question was posed to us in an email recently. We asked and received permission to post it on our Community Forum.
I was reading your article on hydration in “Elderly” published on 5-14-14, and it mentioned that one could provide a recipe for Perfectly Safe Popsicles, i would be interested in this.
My elderly mother has swallowing issues and also has been getting a lot of UTI’s, we were told its important for her to drink plenty of water. With her swallowing issues she has been given the “thick water” to drink and has been told to only take using a spoon followed by swallowing twice. She does not drink a lot of this water, so how is she going to stay hydrated by taking very little sips of this water per day? She is also on a pureed diet and she does not eat a lot, she is 87..
They do not want her to drink “water” or any regular beverages because she may aspirates.
Any suggestions as to how to keep her hydrated? and if possible could you post the Perfectly Safe Popsicle recipe?
Being properly hydrated can be a real challenge. As we age, we lose our sense of thirst and, for may people, our kidneys become less able to manage the essential salts and minerals found in the foods that we eat. Add dysphagia to the equasion and it indeed becomes a challenge. Some suggestions:
Thicken water or beverages with a “clear” gum-based thickener like ThickenUp Clear or Thick & Easy Clear. These thickeners don’t taste pasty or alter the appearance of beverages. They just make beverages the correct consistency. I find that my clients on thickened liquids drink about twice as much when they are using a clear thickener. “Clear” thickeners will even thicken fizzy drinks, like soda and beer.
While water is the best form of liquid for hydration, it is okay to include other beverages like juice, Gatorade and flavored waters. Also consider adding a squeeze of lemon to water. Coffee and tea can be dehydrating, but if that is what someone want to drink, it is okay. Just limit the type to decaf and don’t drink more that two cups per day. The same goes for soda/pop.
Serve properly hot or cold beverages, which ever can be tolerated, not room temperature beverages. Cold and properly hot beverages will help stimulate the swallow. Test hot liquids to make sure that they are not too hot!
Keep cold, thickened beverages available all the time. I recommend thickening beverages a quart at a time and keeping the container in the refrigerator. That way, when you need a beverage, it is cold and ready. By the way, clear thickeners will not continue to thicken, so you won’t end-up with glop.
Ritualize beverages: 10:00 am is “tea time” or 3:00 pm is “happy hour”. Make it fun and interesting.
Offer something to drink whenever you move, bathe or take someone to the bathroom.
You can also boost hydration by adding pureed soups of the proper consistency. If your someone is on honey-thick liquids, soups should be that consistency, as well. The same goes for nectar consistency.
The perfectly safe popsicle recipe (click here to download the recipe) also includes instructions for making a granita, which is nice because you can eat it with a spoon.
I hope that these suggestions help!
I’m not a big participant in online forums so if I’m doing this wrong, I apologize.
Laura Michael mentions in her post that the Popsicle recipe also includes a granita that is eaten with a spoon. My husband is new to the thickened liquids diet and, because his favorite food in the whole world is ice cream, I am looking for suitable substitutes that he might enjoy. I downloaded the Popsicle recipe but did not find the granita recipe. Please advise.
Thank you!
Jeffiejune, I agree: Ice cream rocks! Ice cream is on the “no-no list” for those on thickened liquids but there are a couple of things to try. Hormel Health Labs makes a thickened dessert called “Magic Cup”. Magic Cups are delicious and are packed with protein, nutrition and calories. They are like ice cream-meets-supplement. They are available for purchase on-line but the shipping is very expensive, as they have to ship frozen. Here’s where to order them: http://www.foodservicedirect.com/product.cfm/p/2975158/Magic-Cup-Fortified-Snack.htm
I can also recommend making your own safe ice cream. It’s not as difficult as it sounds; you just need the right product: Simply Thick. Simply Thick is a gum-based, gel instant food thickener. It works in liquids and in pureed foods. Though it is more expensive than a powdered gum-based thickener, it is great in this application. Here’s how it works: Soften a serving of his favorite ice cream in a bowl. It needs to be almost melted. If he’s on nectar thick liquids, vigorously mix in a nectar packet (or pump) of Simply Thick. If he’s on honey, use a honey packet or pump. Mix ice cream/Simply Thick mixture until it is smooth. Refreeze the ice cream, mixing every 15 – 20 minutes until it is a soft-serve texture. At this point, it should never get below a heavy nectar (or honey) consistency. In the meantime, I’ll make sure that we update the link to the instructions for both popsicles and granita.
Hope this helps!
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.