He was admitted to hospital with UTI and sepsis. Then had aspiration pneumonia. Spent week in hosp, 3 weeks in skilled nursing. They have suggested using Simply Thick (gel)or Thicket (powder). I was told he can drink water without thickener because it can be absorbed but if he drinks anything else it needs to be thickened.
I also used it for my Aunt with Dementia after she had surgery until her mind adjusted to eating and drinking again.
We used ThickenUp because that's what was most easily available. I liked the clear formula with xanthan gum the best, although it seems more expensive than the regular formula you need less so it evens out. Drinking through a straw made the texture more acceptable.
It can be hard to adjust to the added daily cost though so I was always looking at ways to thicken without it - depending on how thick you need it some fruit and veg juices are naturally nectar thick, or you can try whizzing them up into a smoothie. Soups can be thickened with flour or cornstarch or just thickened with a stick blender.
And ...side note here if a liquid NEEDS to be thickened to prevent aspiration then ALL liquids would need the same thickening to prevent aspiration. A person can aspirate water just as easily as tea, coffee, juice or broth.
We went from slightly thickened to pudding thick over the course of a year or so.
Side note here as well...
MiriLax added to a thickened liquid will thin out the product so if you have to use a product like MiriLax add it to a already thick item like cream of wheat, pudding, very thick soup.
A spoon used to feed someone a thickened product will transfer saliva back and the saliva will eventually begin to breakdown what is in the cup of bowl so serve smaller portions. You can make and thicken something in advance just use a clean spoon to transfer it to a feeding bowl or cup.
Aspiration is inhaling liquid into the lungs. ANY LIQUID
my Mom suffered from this for about 3 months. She did recover. Most do. I used the thickener in everything. She hated the taste and feel of it. Stopped drinking coffee because of that. I never tried it, so I cannot attest to the taste, but I get the willies thinking about some gel/slime going down my throat.