[Eating and drinking in patients with Alzheimer dementia. A study of interactions]

Eating and drinking become difficult for people afflicted with dementia. We have therefore analysed the mealtime constellation in five cases of institutionalised people suffering from Alzheimer using video in an open technique. The process of eating and drinking entailed intensive interaction between patients and their nurses. The demented were apparently in possession of extensive nonverbal communicative ability to both transmit and receive signals. It proved possible to identify behavioral factors that hinder or benefit the mealtime procedure of the analysed cases.