What is Tea and Toast Syndrome?

Tea and toast syndrome is a common condition among many elderly patients. It happens when they severely limit their food and drink intake due to lack of appetite, lack of supplies and ingredients, limited finances, immobility, and plenty of other reasons. Over time, the lack of food will take a toll on their body, causing complications such as stomach ulcers, low blood pressure and blood sugar, and liver and kidney disease on top of other chronic conditions they probably already have. They then risk falling or seriously injuring themselves, especially considering many of these people live alone.

Our Los Angeles hospice staff have seen the effects of long-term tea and toast syndrome in some of our patients before they got the help they needed. Here’s how to identify tea and toast syndrome and how to stop it.

Symptoms of Tea and Toast Syndrome

Malnutrition is a dangerous effect of tea and toast syndrome and can lead to life-threatening situations for your loved ones. Before it gets to a critical degree, keep watch for signs and symptoms of malnutrition like:

• severe weight loss
• fatigue and tiredness
• constipation and dehydration
• dizziness and faintness
• muscle weakness
• weakened immune system
• depression and mood swings

If your loved ones are experiencing any of these symptoms with no due cause (e.g., illness), then it’s time to consider the possibility of tea and toast syndrome.

How to Prevent Tea and Toast Syndrome

1. Communicate with Your Elderly Loved Ones

Prevention starts with awareness, so if you’re already aware of what’s going on with your loved ones, then you’re on the right track. Many people fail to notice tea and toast syndrome as it’s easy to miss—they could think that it’s just a sign of old age, or perhaps they don’t spend enough time with them to notice anything is wrong.

Whatever the case, it’s important to check up on your loved ones once in a while to see if everything’s alright. And don’t just take their word for it—you need to see things for yourself by visiting them and being with them the whole day if you can.

2. Look at Their Eating Habits

It’s important to watch over your loved one’s eating habits as it is here you can look for signs of tea and toast syndrome.

Look at what they’re eating. Do they finish the whole plate, or do they have leftovers? Does their food have nutritional value? Does their meal plan have diversity? Do they prepare meals themselves, or do they have things like fast food delivered?

Keep in mind that your elderly loved ones aren’t college students anymore—they can’t live off the classic university diet of instant ramen, energy drinks, and processed food. Elderly people need a balanced diet to fight off age-related diseases more than ever, so you can’t take their eating habits lightly.

3. Have Accessible Food

Some elderly patients might actually have a normal appetite but are unable to satiate it by themselves.

For example, they might not be as active as they used to be. They could have difficulty moving around, making grocery shopping and walking around the kitchen a hard task. They could also have a harder time chewing—fruits and vegetables like apples and carrots and meats like beef and pork would be out of the question for them.

They could also be limited by external factors, like lack of supplies and money. Working the stove or oven might be too dangerous for them and deter them from making anything from scratch. Healthy ingredients could be out of their budget, making them reach for cheaper and unhealthier foods like canned goods.

Whatever the case, take a peek at their fridge, cabinets, and drawers to check on their food supply. Also, look around the house for things they might need—a blender, stove alarm, automatic fire extinguishers, microwaves, and more. Make preparing meals easier for them.

If that’s too difficult, however…

4. Sign Up for a Food Delivery Service

You can have them sign up for a food delivery service! There are awesome services like Meals on Wheels, Snap Kitchen, and Freshly that deliver pre-packaged food to their doorstep. For those who still want to cook, you can order meal kits like HelloFresh, Sunbasket, and Blue Apron that send fresh ingredients for meals they can prepare themselves.

5. Inform Their Physicians

A physician can do a check-up on your loved ones to find medical complications caused by tea and towel syndrome, like low blood sugar. They can then work with you to find causes for and solutions to the condition, as well as write up any dietary recommendations.

6. Consider Additional Care

If your loved one is suffering from chronic conditions that make taking care of themselves difficult, then we highly suggest palliative care. With plenty of doctors, nurse practitioners, and caregivers around them, you can be sure your loved ones are well-fed, healthy, and taken care of. This option is particularly great for seniors living alone at home.

If you’re interested in setting up palliative care in Los Angeles for your loved one, please contact Faith & Hope Hospice at (877) 797-1977 or info@faithandhopehospice.com to get started.