When caregiving for a family member with Alzheimer’s, we want to do whatever we can to help them feel better. Sometimes that may be something as simple as having their favorite snacks in the house. But what happens when you can’t keep up with their appetite? Read on to learn how to help prevent Alzheimer's snacking.
Alzheimer’s and Dementia keep your brain from working the way it's supposed to.
This includes the areas responsible for telling you, “You’re full, stop eating!” or “You just ate a full meal.” Your loved one might have memory issues, but they can damn well remember where the Oreos are, can’t they?
Is the person you’re caring for spending more time looking for food? Is their head always in the pantry or the refrigerator? Are they eating the whole package of cookies, instead of just a few?
In the beginning stages of Alzheimer’s, you may believe that “explaining” why they “shouldn’t” eat this or that will matter to them. It won’t. Not because they didn’t hear you or are ignoring you, but because the part of their brain responsible for judgment and decision-making is broken. You can explain it until the cows come home, and it won’t make a bit of difference. They can’t control themselves. As their family caregiver, it’s up to you to keep them from overeating.
The simplest and most cost-effective solution.
Stop buying sweet snacks for the house. We all know sugar isn’t healthy, and believe it or not, it’s even worse for people with Alzheimer’s and Dementia. You’ve probably seen someone’s mood change with a sugar high and a sugar crash. Adding sugar highs and crashes to Alzheimer’s/Dementia mood swings is no party. As a family caregiver, you will bear the brunt of sugar-enhanced mood swings.
If you can’t bring yourself to stop buying sugary snacks, you can restrict access to them by hiding them from your loved one. This only works if you’ve guessed right. You’ll know you were wrong when they find your secret hiding place.
If snack-hiding isn't working, you can dementia-proof your kitchen with the same things parents use to baby-proof things. How well things work will depend on your loved one’s ability to problem solve (this diminishes over time), their frustration response (combative or aggressive behavior) and lastly, your own ability to use the kitchen. Yes, you will be kept out of cupboards and pantries too if you can’t remember how to open things.
Here are some of the things we’ve used. We started inexpensively to see what worked. There’s no reason to spend a ton of money if inexpensive fixes do the trick. Test your loved one’s response to them. The best reaction is to give up and walk away, not get aggressive or come to you.
You need a plan.
If they come to you and ask you for snacks, or want to know why they can’t have any, here are five different ways to say NO without saying NO. If you have children or your own, or have babysat, these will be familiar:
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Alternatives
Offer something else instead.
For example, “We’re out of cookies, but how about some orange slices?” But, for this to work, you have to have alternatives close at hand. Substituting sugary snacks with fruit is a win-win. It’s cheaper, more nutritious, and easier to digest. Keep in mind that fruit can still be overeaten, and diarrhea is never fun. -
Postpone
For example, “It’s getting close to lunch, how about we have cookies after lunch?” Linking the snack to a future meal will help them eat real food first.
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Change The Subject
For example, “It doesn’t look like you’ve been drinking very much water today. Let me get you some.” The key is to commit fully to the subject you're switching to.
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Distract
Switch their attention to something else.
For example, “Can you help me with something in the other room first?” The longer they’re distracted, the less likely they are to remember the snacks. -
Enlist Authority Figures
Invoke a doctor, dentist, physical therapist, etc.
For example, “At our last visit, Dr. So-And-So said you had to cut down on snacks.” It might be okay to argue with you, but people are less prone to contradicting an authority figure.
