Feeding people who struggle to eat (how-to)

This is the most subjective part of feeding, and you will have to pay close attention and come to know the person you are helping very well. Some people will be [mortified] when trying to eat messy foods in public, while others will be fine spitting gristle on the floor. The correct actions on your part will involve knowing not only the person you are helping to feed, but also knowing the situation in which they will be eating. This is by far the hardest part of feeding, and also the hardest one to give advice on.

However, you should be aware of the opinions of family members. You should consider carefully what to do with drooled food (with babies we tend to scoop it back up and stick it back in the mouth. [But then again, it may be|This may not be appropriate with adults]) and spilled food. You should know how the person you are helping used to eat before they needed help. You should know how the person you are helping feels about you. You should consider how your helping appears to them. And you should be ready to [explain], converse, and take [feedback] whenever possible.

Warning Signs:

Most of the advice above is highly dependent on the individual being fed, and much of it will not apply in your situation. I hope that at least some of it was useful, and that you can use it as a starting point to finding out what works best for you. However, there are certain warning signs that you need to be aware of. Sudden [weight loss], or slow weight loss over a long period, are both dangerous and require medical attention. [Coughing], [choking], and [wet vocal quality|wet] or [gurgly] voice or breathing sounds are not good. You may be able to 'fix' these problems on your own by avoiding foods that cause these problems, but they are a symptom of dysfunction in the throat and need to be evaluated by a professional. [Pain] may be unavoidable in some cases, but it should never be ignored. See a doctor and find out what is causing the pain and what can be done about it.

Although the account I give above makes feeding sound like a potentially overwhelming task, it should not be a battle or a backbreaking chore. There are many avenues through which you can find help. Eating is medically important, and your doctor can refer you to highly trained and experienced professionals that can give you help and advice. While it may be stressful to think about such things, you may also need to consider [home health care], [respite care] or an [assisted living facility] or [nursing home]. [Medicare] and other government programs will often help pay for help with feeding, as will many insurance plans. 'Feeding' support groups are few and far between, but there are support groups for just about every specific disease and disorder, and they will often talk about feeding problems specific to that population. These groups will often have better information than a general article like this can give you.