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.
The Tasty Spoon, pictured, uses electrical stimulation to enhance the taste of food for patients who suffer from taste loss
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.’