Module 4 Lesson 1. Eating and drinking - more pleasant mealtimes Health conditions Common health conditions can affect eating and drinking. The activity below teaches you how to improve these conditions if they are present. Activity Health condition Poor appetite Changes you may have seen Does not want to eat the meal Eats only small amounts of food Takes a long time to eat a small amount of food Recommended actions to try Make food appealing: use different textures, flavours, smells, tastes, sounds and colours that the person enjoys Eat with the family, rather than alone Play soft music that they like during mealtime Increase physical activities that they can do during the day Toothache Refuses to eat and drink Is restless Has a facial expression indicating pain Ask whether the person is in pain Ask them to point out the area of pain Check whether there are loose teeth, mouth ulcers, etc. Seek help from a doctor or dentist Poorly fitting artificial dentures Refuses to eat and drink Is restless Has a facial expression indicating pain Refusing to wear dentures Throws dentures on the floor See above for toothache Check that the dentures are in good condition and fit properly Body pain Refuses to eat and drink Is restless Unusual body postures Has a facial expression pain Ask whether the person is in pain Ask them to point out the area of pain Seek help from a doctor Does not have a bowel movement for more than 7 days Hard and dry faeces Difficulty passing faeces/straining Having a feeling of incomplete bowel movements Hard stomach Nausea and vomiting Becomes anxious or agitated Seek help from a doctor Upon resolution of the problem: Increase fibre in diet Increase drinking of fluids Increase physical activity Diarrhoea Liquid faeces Increased number of bowel movements Incontinency and difficulty controlling bowel movements Seek help from a doctor Side effects from medications Nausea, vomiting, liquid faeces or constipation Does not want to have a meal Eats only small amounts of food Seek help from a doctor Memory loss; forgets to eat or drink Asks when the next meal is even if it already happened The person says that they are hungry even if they already ate Remind the person to eat and drink regularly Model eating and drinking (i.e. eat and drink with the person) Provide snacks between meal times Depression Refuses to eat or says they are not hungry Eats small amounts of food Has no interest in food Seek help from a doctor Weight loss Forgets to eat Eats smaller amounts of food Eats regular amounts of food but still loses weight Increase the amount of food Provide foods that they will like Increase flavourful foods as the person’s taste might be impaired Seek advice from a doctor Weight gain Eats all the food that is served Eats more snacks than before because they forget that they already ate Is obsessed with food Model eating and drinking (i.e. eat and drink with the person) Serve smaller portions Remove the plate when the person indicates that they are full Provide low-calorie snacks Save