My father is losing the ability to drink liquids, they call it dysphasia and was placed on a thickened liquid which he hates it. I did try it and yes it tastes a bit different but I believe it is primarily because of the texture of it not so much the taste. I have been giving him ice chips while I am visiting him being very careful not to allow him to dig to the bottom of the glass where the ice has melted as he gets a spoon full of water and chokes. :-( Any ideas, suggestions or recommendations on what have worked for you?
If he does not like the texture of thickened liquids then he needs to increase other forms of "fluids"
Pudding
Applesauce
Other pureed fruits and or vegetables. (fruits need to be pureed as they can easily slip down the trachea)
Oatmeal
Cream of Wheat
Cream of rice
Ice cream, Jell-O, popsicles, m ilk shakes and things like that when they get to body temperature will become liquid so they can cause aspiration.
I liked the xanthan gum products best, the one we used was Thicken Up clear. There are different levels of thickening so be sure he's getting the one needed. But start with skipping water and instead offering beverages that already have a natural thickness where anything additional won't be quite as noticeable - like tomato and vegetable juice, hot chocolate, lattes vs coffee, fruit juices made into smoothies. If he's allowed a straw that can also be helpful because the texture is less noticeable.
The wanting water is something new (for the past 4 months); we were having challenges getting him to drink water as he refused it and was constantly dehydrated. Since last hospital visit now all he wants is water.
It is maddening.
So try just putting it in his normal drinks. And any food can be pureed, so that's not an issue at all.
Don't make this harder than it needs to be. Your father will adjust to his new way of eating and drinking.
Oh and P.S. I would stop giving him ice chips as even those can go into his lungs and cause aspiration pneumonia, which in most cases is fatal.