Experts say high-tech ‘Tasty Spoon’, which revives taste buds, will help people with dementia unlock food memories and help them eat

Researchers are developing a high-tech spoon that should help combat eating and drinking problems in people with dementia.

The device, called Tasty Spoon, uses electrical stimulation to improve the taste of food in patients with taste loss.

People with dementia often have problems with eating and drinking. This is due to symptoms such as memory loss, inability to recognize food and a reduced sense of smell and taste.

This can cause patients to lose weight, lose muscle strength and become malnourished.

According to researchers, the rechargeable Tasty Spoon looks like a traditional spoon, but can help users distinguish between different types of food.

It works by sending gentle electrical currents through the tongue, reactivating the taste buds and helping people with dementia to recognise specific flavours again.

Its development is led by Dr Christian Morgner, from the University of Sheffield’s School of Management and the Healthy Lifespan Institute.

He said: ‘A loss of taste can make it impossible for the patient to enjoy food. This affects the patient’s well-being, as food plays such an important role in our lives.

‘This mainly occurs in patients who live alone or in nursing homes with a more general diet.

‘In a candid revelation, one person revealed that he has only eaten toast for the past five years. To him, there is no difference between toast and a normal Sunday roast.’

According to Dr Morgner, the Tasty Spoon could also save the NHS money.

He added: ‘Developing a technological aid like the Tasty Spoon could help rekindle the joy of eating for people with taste-related challenges, and so contribute to better health. It could also reduce NHS costs of treating the side effects of poor nutrition.’

It works by sending gentle electrical currents into the tongue that reactivate the taste buds and allow dementia patients to recognise specific flavours again. Its development is being led by Dr Christian Morgner, from the University of Sheffield’s School of Management and the Healthy Lifespan Institute

In the UK, there are approximately 944,000 people with dementia, with one in eleven people over the age of 65 having the disease.

According to the NHS, the number of people could exceed one million by 2030.

The Tasty Spoon project is working with the Alzheimer’s Society Accelerator Programme, which aims to bring new products to market that help people with dementia.

Simon Lord, head of innovation at Alzheimer’s Society, said: ‘A healthy, balanced diet can help improve a person’s quality of life.

However, common symptoms of dementia, such as memory loss and difficulty thinking and problem solving, can make it more difficult to eat and drink well.

‘That’s why we’re excited about the potential that Tasty Spoon offers to improve the taste and enjoyment of food, and thus the health and nutrition of people with dementia.

‘Innovations like these are essential because they enrich everyday experiences and improve health and well-being.

‘Tasty Spoon is a unique product and we can’t wait to make it available to people with dementia.’

WHAT IS DEMENTIA?

Dementia is a collective term for a range of neurological disorders

A GLOBAL CONCERN

Dementia is a collective term for a range of progressive neurological disorders (disorders that affect the brain) that affect memory, thinking and behavior.

There are many forms of dementia, the most common of which is Alzheimer’s disease.

Some people have a combination of different forms of dementia.

Regardless of what type of dementia is diagnosed, everyone experiences dementia in their own unique way.

Dementia is a global problem, but it is most common in wealthier countries, where people often live to a very old age.

HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE AFFECTED?

The Alzheimer’s Society reports that there are currently more than 900,000 people living with dementia in the UK, with this number expected to rise to 1.6 million by 2040.

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia, affecting 50 to 75 percent of people diagnosed with it.

There are an estimated 5.5 million Alzheimer’s patients in the United States. A similar percentage increase is expected in the coming years.

As a person gets older, the risk of dementia also increases.

Diagnoses are improving, but it is suspected that many people with dementia still do not have the correct diagnosis.

IS THERE A CURE?

There is currently no cure for dementia.

But new drugs can slow its progression. And the earlier the disease is detected, the more effective treatment can be.

Source: Alzheimer’s Society