| Re: Any suggestions?????? Hunger vs. Aspiration
I do not have any encouraging answers either. Dementia runs it course and the final sight of attack is the brain stem which controls the function of the body organs. The ability to swallow and separate food path and airway is one of those functions. There is no way to give that back to her. By then the center of the brain (the hypothalamus) that controls hunger is damaged also. It can be stuck on or off. Hunger is no longer a word with meaning. It may be a mimic of what she has heard or just a combination of sounds that you take as the word hunger.
Both of my parents are much less advance in their dementia and neither of them understand hunger or even thirst. My Mom is never hungry where as my Dad is always hungry even if he has just eaten. If you put something in front of them they may eat it but I have not heard either of them ask for food. I have heard my Dad say he was hungry... minutes after he ate two breakfasts!
So please do not attach rational thinking to the late stages of dementia!
I will tell you that it is not abnormal for a healthy person to life for many weeks without food. Water is more important and a week to fourteen days is the maximum you can live without water. Much depends on the person, their physical condition, their metabolism, and their environment. My FIL lasted for 12 days with no food or water even though he was severely weakened by a stroke with left him with no ability to swallow. I did see the same aspiration problems you saw. It is not pretty... so my heart goes out to you. know I keep you all in my thoughts and prayers...
Love, deb
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