Thanks all. My Dad was doing ice chips via the swallowing therapies directions and we thought doing quite well. She said it was only thing safe for him to try. It could have been caused by any of the things that you all mentioned.
I understand Susan completely what you are saying about the not eating. The isolation for my Dad is unbelievable. He feels that he is only existing not living. We try to help him we have our pastor come and talk to him as he will not talk to a therapist. He is on medication for the anxiety/depression but it only helps so much. I dread a holiday when the entire world will celebrate around a meal and we try to figure out how to handle it. I just wish the doctors would have prepared us for this.
The therapist think she can get him to be able to take a couple of bites eventually using the technique that Gloria mentioned but not sure about that now. Why bother if the risk of pneumonia is so high and what is the point. She said at least he could try to participate with the family but she implies getting him to be able to take a couple of bites of applesauce may take months of therapy if it works at all. They call that taking a couple of bites for "pleasure".
The ultimate decision of how to go forward is my Dad's but we do not know how to have the discussion as he gets so upset about the topic so quickly that the discussion just ends.......