Sick 3 times in 4 weeks?

[TheOpalFox]

My dad lives with me at my house, he’s 71.
hes been sick 3 times in 4 weeks.
is it something to be concerned about please? Or not? Thankyou

Do you mean vomiting, is it linked to any food, how does he feel in himself, has he any pain.

Hard to know if it’s linked to food? He feels ok but he’s got the start of dementia so gets confused and can’t always tell me stuff :(

We have had a couple of instances where there is an underlying infection (in my parent’s case it was uti both times), and they have gradually become more agitated, appetite decreases, vomiting starts happening regularly. Both times we have ended up with my parent in hospital for sepsis, via A&E. Just something to watch out for - so keep an eye on his temperature. If you are not sure (and if you are in the UK (or is it just England)), 111 have been really helpful, both times for us. Ps - My parent wasn’t aware they had an uti infection, either time.

Depends what is happening exactly. I think I would probably request a GP review just to be sure you’re considering the right questions.

With dementia it’s often a good idea to keep a diary so you can spot patterns of symptoms and mood changes, because exactly as you say, the verbal side gets pretty impossible.

Is he vomiting, or just retching without bringing anything up, or both? Was it at the same time of day each time? Was it while he was eating or soon after, and in that case, what was he eating? Any change in diet? Is he coughing while he’s eating or drinking, or at other times during the day or night? Has he had a medication change?

Has he opened his bowels regularly? Any fever? Ant behaviour or facial expression suggesting pain?

Is it because he’s having difficulty in swallowing, you can ask his GP to refer him to SALT.

Is he cooking for himself?? My dad has a very lax attitude to best before dates, left overs etc…and can easily make himself ill. He also seem to think he can eat what he did 30 years ago when working an active job…this can all cause stomach problems.

No I cook all his food

Do you mean vomiting as in a bug or reflux/regurgitation? The latter can be related to dementia with difficulty chewing and swallowing. It puts him at risk of aspiration so needs assessment and monitoring. Sometimes texture and lumpier foods can be an issue so a SALT can make suggestions on different of foods to try or refer to a dietician. It might be worth keeping a diary when it occurs.