Reply to an Answer

Good evening!   I am so sorry that your mom is having difficulty breathing and eating. I know how difficult dealing with this issue is as a caretaker.   My mom also had this issue. Mom suffered from Alzheimer's Disease as well as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) from too many years of smoking. As her Alzheimer's progressed and her lungs worsened, she experienced difficulty swallowing food. To diagnose what was going on, Mom participated in a modified barium swallow test.   After the test, the medical staff explained to Dad and me that part of the reason that she was having this difficulty was that she was losing control of some of her involuntary muscle reflexes (such as swallowing) due to Alzheimer's. Mom's situation was worsened because she couldn't hold her breath long enough (due to COPD) to allow the flap from the esophagus to the lungs to close in order for the food to move to the stomach. Therefore, Mom often had food crumbs that were ending up in her lung passage, causing her to choke up. The nursing home staff changed Mom's diet from solid food to pureed food, which she was able to eat without having an issue.   One other decision that Dad and I discussed with the nursing home staff at this time was a feeding tube. Mom wasn't to the stage of needing one at this point, but if she had continued declining, we would have been faced with this decision. (Mom died before she got to this level). So I'd suggest to you that you being having this discussion with family members so that everyone is agreed upon a decision concerning a feeding tube.    I wrote about this experience with Mom's swallowing at:  http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/42/8290/stage-moms-care   I hope this helps! Let me know if you have any questions. And please take care!   Dorian