Almost anything can be pureed Almost the last year of my Husbands life he had pureed food. I would puree the same meal I would have. Gradually I did rely more on soups and stews. He loved Key Lime Pie and I would make the Key Lime Pie filling and pour it into ramekins and bake it that way, he had his pie minus the crust. Breakfast was a lot of hot cereals (cream of wheat, cream of rice, oatmeal. I even pureed pizza. For a lot of things I would puree larger portions in my blender and portion it and freeze meals for later. Some things I would just use a "mini" chopper if it was not something I would have to save for future meals.
My mom refuses to wear her bottom denture and her hearing aids. To keep weight on her because she doesn't have any dietary restrictions we do a lot of dinners with pasta and rice (like chicken Alfredo) because it's soft. We also make sure she gets an egg a day, offer yogurt and at night she has a 8PM snack like a pudding or small bowl of ice cream. Doc said at her age let her enjoy what she eats.
My mother has dementia and for some reason it really upsets her for the NH staff to try to put her dentures in. She will let me do it without fuss, but I can't be there all the time. Initially, I was always angry at the NH staff because I felt like they just weren't being patient enough. But they insist that she becomes so upset and agitated that it's more detrimental than helpful. So I finally gave in, and although I hate seeing Mom without the dentures and I know she would hate people seeing her without them, I decided to choose my battles and this wasn't one of them. Long story short, she is able to eat fine. Her food is chopped up and all vegetables are cooked to a soft consistency. She eats everything. If health is gauged by her eating (which the NH seems to put a lot of emphasis on), then she is doing great. It's still shocking to me though to see her without her teeth. I don't think I will ever get used to it.
A little off on a tangent here....sorry, but I inwardly cringe whenever anyone recommends Ensure.
Please check out "Premier Protein". It has more protein: 30 grams vs Ensure's 9....and MUCH less sugar: just one 1 gram vs Ensure's TWENTY THREE grams. How they can morally get away with saying Ensure is a "complete and balanced nutrician shake" is beyond me.....
My mom had dentures and after she went into her facility, she broke the Uppers while in Assisted Living. I took her to get new ones. She couldn’t get new bottom ones because she didn’t have enough “gum”. After her last hospitalization the top ones were lost, she had a bad habit of wrapping them up in a napkin. I didn’t get them replaced, she wasn’t eating much as it was after diagnosis.
You can buy a liquid called ProSource that is a high protein additive. Put it in drinks or oatmeal, etc. Just don’t give more than prescribed amt on bottle, because a person can only absorb 15ish grams of protein per meal. I get it on Amazon.
My mother had head and neck cancer and a denture wasn’t possible. Her nutrition status is excellent. Oatmeal, avocado, egg salad, sweet potatoes and squash. You get the idea. Berries, cake, ice cream, whatever she wants. Now that her dementia is advancing she eats less and is losing weight, truly I don’t worry because it is the natural course. When she is hungry she eats. I never worry about wasting food or make it an issue.
I grew up during my "wonderbread years" on the border of Missouri (Missour-ah) and Arkansas. Almost all the elders around me had no teeth. Some managed to chomp down quite hearty meals and some kind of had it scrunched up in finer portions, but none, I suspect, died from malnutrition. You mention the age of 90. At this point this fine lady will not have an obit written that says she died way too young. That is to say that she is likely to go of age. And in age the appetite goes way way down. Sometimes the swallow actually disappears and along with it all incentive to eat. It is a matter of the aging mechanics of the body. Less is taken in. More sleep is needed until finally there is a longing only to sleep. The body is winding down, and headed where it inevitably must, to that final rest. I would not now worry about dentures. If you are truly worried about nutrition get a consult with a nutritionist and find out what supplements are best for this elder, and how you can best support weight, avoid wasting. I will tell you this as a nurse, the human body at the end of life needs so little to go on that you would be amazed. Even meager intake of food and fluid can keep a body going for a long time. My very best out to you and the elder you clearly care so deeply for.
Reading the answers here and since there is little information to go by, I was just wondering Sigh123, do you have a LO with dental issues and you are trying to make some decisions for them? If you only needed reassurance that LO can manage w/o teeth then your question is answered. But since you needed to ask, it made me wonder if the dentures hadn’t been ordered yet. Just wanting to make sure you got the help you needed.
Yes, I needed reassurance that LO could manage w/o teeth. LO is 90 years old, and has had several teeth fall out in last year. Relatives think tooth loss will negatively affect her health. However, LO has several "root tips" that would need to be extracted first in order for dentures to fit properly. I think LO is too old to go through 6 extractions - don't want her to suffer, especially at 90. We just visited an oral surgeon about the root tips. He said that they are not infected, and recommended to leave them alone. He also told me that nobody has ever died from not being able to eat due to tooth loss. Thank you so much for your response; very much appreciated.
My mother lost all her teeth in her 40s, and could eat anything she wanted to until she was at least 90, and most definitely “maintained” her weight.
She had a severe stroke at85 and told her neurologist that she didn’t like hospital food and she was going home 2 days after the stroke was diagnosed, and that’s exactly what she did, and lived by herself for the next 5 years.
If someone wants to eat, they will eat, teeth or no teeth.
My mom had a swallowing disorder (dysphagia) and was eating a pureed diet for several of her final years so I know it is very possible to maintain weight with such a diet. The challenge is in making up foods that are tasty and interesting and not just the equivalent of baby food mush - including foods that are normally soft in texture can go a long way in making the diet more palatable. Someone without teeth can "chew" and swallow a lot of foods that a person needing a pureed diet can't so things like pasta casseroles, ground meats, shepherd's pie, quiche, soft breads are all possible. Smoothies. Soups of all kinds. Don't forget dessert!
If the problem is lack of interest in eating that is a whole different thing - this is where attention to adding high calorie foods (full fat dairy, sauces and gravy, cheese, fats and oils, nut butters etc) and nutritional supplements like boost and ensure can help.
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Almost the last year of my Husbands life he had pureed food. I would puree the same meal I would have. Gradually I did rely more on soups and stews. He loved Key Lime Pie and I would make the Key Lime Pie filling and pour it into ramekins and bake it that way, he had his pie minus the crust. Breakfast was a lot of hot cereals (cream of wheat, cream of rice, oatmeal. I even pureed pizza.
For a lot of things I would puree larger portions in my blender and portion it and freeze meals for later. Some things I would just use a "mini" chopper if it was not something I would have to save for future meals.
Please check out "Premier Protein". It has more protein: 30 grams vs Ensure's 9....and MUCH less sugar: just one 1 gram vs Ensure's TWENTY THREE grams. How they can morally get away with saying Ensure is a "complete and balanced nutrician shake" is beyond me.....
I noticed an ensure commercial touting 30 GM of protein. They have stepped up their game. Perhaps due to the competition.
You mention the age of 90. At this point this fine lady will not have an obit written that says she died way too young. That is to say that she is likely to go of age. And in age the appetite goes way way down. Sometimes the swallow actually disappears and along with it all incentive to eat. It is a matter of the aging mechanics of the body. Less is taken in. More sleep is needed until finally there is a longing only to sleep. The body is winding down, and headed where it inevitably must, to that final rest.
I would not now worry about dentures. If you are truly worried about nutrition get a consult with a nutritionist and find out what supplements are best for this elder, and how you can best support weight, avoid wasting.
I will tell you this as a nurse, the human body at the end of life needs so little to go on that you would be amazed. Even meager intake of food and fluid can keep a body going for a long time.
My very best out to you and the elder you clearly care so deeply for.
If you only needed reassurance that LO can manage w/o teeth then your question is answered. But since you needed to ask, it made me wonder if the dentures hadn’t been ordered yet. Just wanting to make sure you got the help you needed.
She had a severe stroke at85 and told her neurologist that she didn’t like hospital food and she was going home 2 days after the stroke was diagnosed, and that’s exactly what she did, and lived by herself for the next 5 years.
If someone wants to eat, they will eat, teeth or no teeth.
If the problem is lack of interest in eating that is a whole different thing - this is where attention to adding high calorie foods (full fat dairy, sauces and gravy, cheese, fats and oils, nut butters etc) and nutritional supplements like boost and ensure can help.