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Elderly man sticks out tongue
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Posted by pineviewplanter (My Page) on Wed, Mar 14, 07 at 16:58
During a nursing home ministry visit, I noticed that there were 2 sweet old gentlemen about 80 or maybe a bit more were sitting there listening while our choir sang some lovely gospel music to them. Well, in between songs, they would look off as if deep in thought. All the while, they both would stick out their tongues sort of like licking their lips about every couple of seconds.. almost as if they were eating something...
Is this common ?? And is it a symptom of something?
I ask because I noticed my husband doing something similar a week or two ago... but he has since stopped...
Thanks,
Carolyn |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Elderly man sticks out tongue
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| Most likely they had a dry mouth and lips. Water should have been available to them. Many times elderly people do not produce enough saliva to keep the mouth moist. Dry mouth is very common and there are remedies for the problem. |
RE: Elderly man sticks out tongue
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| This may be a condition known as Tardive Dyskenesia. It is a side effect of certain antipsychotic medications. It's some times necessary to give some patients drugs of this type so that they can be controled in a nursing home environment. The patients don't seem to be bothered by it, but it is hard to watch. My mother was on it for years and finally developed the condition. She was a problem patient. |
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