Directly to the Stomach

Digestive System

There are no organs between the stomach and mouth. Food does not get any extra process. This is one reason to chew your food well. Another is choking.  You have to be able to swallow it in the first place, so you chew it. Chew it well or you'll choke. We chew our food for proper digestion and so we can swallow it.

The feeding tube gives us direct access to the stomach, but we are only bypassing the mouth. How do you feed someone who is asleep? 

I think of those old western movies where they tried to make an unconscious person drink.

Fortunately we have the feeding-tube now.

We have the pill crusher for chewing. I went to a place that used mortar and pestle. It's your preference. The pill crusher may be easier to find.

The mouth also wets the food with saliva. For that we have formula. It's just like formula for a baby, but made for an adult. A few are flavored. This is pumped directly to the stomach and doesn't need to be flavored.

Thank goodness we now have feeding-tubes or we'd be trying to wake people out of comas to take a sip of water.

I don't do my own feeding, but this gives 

good ideas, ones I did not know.
Yes, I have my own tube.

Keep Your Legs Working

I didn't have an exoskeleton. Years ago I did something similar. A brace was made for my right leg. It was a bar that came out of my shoe and went to my knee. A physical therapist (PT) and a PT aide helped me walk down a hall.

In the title of the video, the girl said she used her hip flexors. This goes back to a range of motion video I saw. A caregiver rolls the leg so the hip flexor doesn't freeze up.

Here is the range of motion video. It focuses on the lower extremities.

Range of motion is performed because "use it or lose it."

This paper centers on the lower extremities, which are needed for walking. There is upper extremity range of motion as well. Keep everything moving. You might need it later.