Eating and Dementia: How Mealtime Changes Can Improve Nutrition
If your loved one with dementia has stopped eating — or eats significantly less — you’re not alone. For many families, this shift can feel sudden and confusing, leading to serious concerns around involuntary weight loss and malnutrition. But beneath what looks like a change in appetite is often something much deeper: the way dementia affects how we see, feel, and experience food.
In this blog, we will share what we have learned about what’s really going on around the dinner table, how small changes can make a big difference, and how Carebee is making dementia care support even easier to find.
1 - Distinguishing and Recognizing Food
Dementia affects more than memory — it changes how someone perceives colour, contrast, and depth. A person living with dementia might see a white plate on a white table as a flat or even bottomless surface. If the food is also pale in colour, it may go unnoticed altogether.
Try this: Serve food on white dishes with a contrasting colour placemat. This simple change can help your loved one better recognize the food in front of them, and help them feel more confident and comfortable at mealtime. Similarly, it’s important to avoid patterned plates, placemats, or table cloths, as these can lead to further confusion and lack of distinction.
2 - Simplify the Environment, So They Can Focus on Eating
Mealtime can be overstimulating — too many dishes, options, background noise, or complicated table settings can overwhelm someone living with dementia.
Make things a bit easier for your loved one:
Set just one plate, one utensil, and one glass. Less choices will help them feel more capable of consuming what’s in front of them.
Offer one food item at a time, as your loved one may be unable to decide among the foods on their plate.
Minimize background noise — turn off the TV/music, minimize distractions, and lower voices during meals.
Sit and eat with your loved one. Often, the act of watching someone eat provides a gentle cue to begin, in addition to being an important part of their social life.
These changes help bring calm and dignity back to the experience of eating for a loved one with dementia.
3 - Comfort, Routine, and Flexibility Go a Long Way
While we all enjoy variety at mealtime, routines offer comfort to people living with dementia. Try to serve meals at the same time and in the same setting each day. Additionally, it’s important to keep in mind that not every meal has to look traditional. Finger foods, smoothies, or even grazing throughout the day are excellent options when your ultimate goal is nourishment.
Finding Dementia-Informed Help Just Got Easier with Carebee
Caring for someone living with dementia takes more than tips — it takes support.
That’s why we’re updating our Carebee Rolodex to include dementia-informed services across categories: personal care, companionship, in-home meals, and more. Soon, our members will be able to search for holistic support options all in one easy space. In the meantime, read our Blog on any Dementia related content here.
If you’re not already a member, join today to be the first to get access to incoming resources that truly understand your journey. Because you don’t have to do this alone.
Explore Membership Options from Carebee Here
Bzzz,
Team Carebee
P.S: Want to read more Carebee articles about dementia? Click here!
Sources: The Toronto Star, Alzheimer's Association
