Need some advice/ Elderly parent & appetite Update post 31

[Marchand63]

Before we say consult DR, we are. We have appointments with her GP & Gerontologist next Tuesday.

IRL sometimes people find ways to help.

My parent is 92, has dementia but otherwise very very healthy. The last couple weeks has been a struggle to get solid food into them. We do Ensures. We also do a shake with high fat ice cream & Ensure, DR recommended, for calories. Plenty of liquids are doing ok, lemonade, decaf tea & Cranberry juice.

Any one deal with this that might have some tricks to get them to eat? I was thinking baby food even.
Any advice would be helpful.

Oh not in a nursing home, we have plenty of family so been able to keep them at home.

 

[tinkerbellandeeyor]

What about fav foods just a thought if I am totally off bass ignore me

 

[Marchand63]

What about fav foods just a thought if I am totally off bass ignore me

Not way off bass. I guess it is a texture thing at this age. I actually thought about putting faves in a blender.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

I would highly recommend a swallow test to be sure your parent is able to eat solids if they are agreeable. They may not be able to eat them because swallowing is difficult.

You can blend things, like soups, chili's, etc. Protein, protein, protein.

Make your own "baby food".

 

[hereyago]

Also how far into dementia? Sometimes with dementia they don't register as being hungry. Also as said texture and even taste can change.

 

[Marchand63]

I would highly recommend a swallow test to be sure your parent is able to eat solids if they are agreeable. They may not be able to eat them because swallowing is difficult.

You can blend things, like soups, chili's, etc. Protein, protein, protein.

Make your own "baby food".

I am will make sure there DR does that. Never thought of it, thanks.

I actually put a scoop of my protein powder in her Ensure & ice cream shakes. Although this just started this week. Hoping it will make a difference.

I love any advice.

 

[Marchand63]

Also how far into dementia? Sometimes with dementia they don't register as being hungry. Also as said texture and even taste can change.

6 years in. Fine until 86 but lucid about 50% of the time until the last couple months.

I honestly would not be fighting except their health was amazing until this. Heck could out walk me on any day. Comes from Canadian farm stock LOL!!

 

[Southernmiss]

I would highly recommend a swallow test to be sure your parent is able to eat solids if they are agreeable. They may not be able to eat them because swallowing is difficult.

You can blend things, like soups, chili's, etc. Protein, protein, protein.

Make your own "baby food".

This. My grandmother in her last months lost her ability to swallow-the muscles forgot how to. For liquids she needed a thickener that was mixed into her drinks/foods. It kept her from choking.

 

[kmb584]

Before we say consult DR, we are. We have appointments with her GP & Gerontologist next Tuesday.

IRL sometimes people find ways to help.

My parent is 92, has dementia but otherwise very very healthy. The last couple weeks has been a struggle to get solid food into them. We do Ensures. We also do a shake with high fat ice cream & Ensure, DR recommended, for calories. Plenty of liquids are doing ok, lemonade, decaf tea & Cranberry juice.

Any one deal with this that might have some tricks to get them to eat? I was thinking baby food even.
Any advice would be helpful.

Oh not in a nursing home, we have plenty of family so been able to keep them at home.

Are they having difficulty with chewing or swallowing? Is it a decrease in appetite?

If the former, a videofluoroscopy could help in determining if your parent needs a different texture of food. Regular vs chopped, for instance.

I spent years working (as a nurse) with Alzheimer's and Dementia patients and for every patient that had an appetite, there were four that didn't. A decreased appetite, unfortunately, seems to go hand-in-hand with the disease and it gets worse as the Alzheimer's progresses. It'd be worth asking your mom's or dad's primary care physician about introducing a medication such as Megace into their routine. It's a liquid medication that helps to stimulate the appetite.

 

[Marchand63]

Are they having difficulty with chewing or swallowing? Is it a decrease in appetite?

If the former, a videofluoroscopy could help in determining if your parent needs a different texture of food. Regular vs chopped, for instance.

I spent years working (as a nurse) with Alzheimer's and Dementia patients and for every patient that had an appetite, there were four that didn't. A decreased appetite, unfortunately, seems to go hand-in-hand with the disease and it gets worse as the Alzheimer's progresses. It'd be worth asking your mom's or dad's primary care physician about introducing a medication such as Megace into their routine. It's a liquid medication that helps to stimulate the appetite.

Thanks on my list of questions now. See I knew there would be a wealth of knowledge here. IRL we all have to deal with reverse care, if we a blessed to keep them this long.

 

[lorimay]

 

[hereyago]

I just remembered, my mom had vascular dementa, her issue wasn't eating well she lost 40 lbs in rehab and came home 72 lbs and a stage 4 bed sore.

I was blessed with great medical help when she came home. Ask about whey or hemp(yes hemp) protein to make with a drink.

 

[Marchand63]

I just remembered, my mom had vascular dementa, her issue wasn't eating well she lost 40 lbs in rehab and came home 72 lbs and a stage 4 bed sore.

I was blessed with great medical help when she came home. Ask about whey or hemp(yes hemp) protein to make with a drink.

Funny that is what I use - Whey. So started that earlier this week, makes me feel good I might be on the right path. I am also lucky they were always a little pudgy but lost 4lbs in 10 days so my concern hit 10

 

[runwad]

Not nutritious but what about sweets? Most of the older people I knew loved their sweets. They would eat cookies, candies, anything sweet all day long if they were allowed. That would help with weight as long as they are getting the ensure and things like that for nutrition.

 

[AquamarineSteph]

Along with the swallow function, what about the state of your parent's teeth and mouth? Does he/she wear dentures or do they still have their own teeth? Any cold sores inside the mouth? Problems with any of these can make a patient less willing to eat because of discomfort.

Depending on where you live, you could also enquire if something like Marinol (prescription Rx) or medical marijuana might help stimulate the appetite.

 

[roseaster]

Ensure tastes pretty terrible (smells it, too, lol) you may want to try other supplements like Boost, or even some diet shakes like Slimfast ( but in addition to meals, not as a replacement) Also, Ensure gives a lot of patients diarrhea.

For HIV patients who needed the extra calories, and 1 with Huntington's that did, too, we made shakes with full fat ice cream and milk and added a packet of Carnation Instant Breakfast.

You may also want to think about finger foods, sometimes dementia patients start having issues feeding themselves. Think small kids. Nuggets, PB and J.

Pancakes, pureed with syrup, served warm and topped with butter is usually a pureed favorite. Sounds bad, but it usually goes over well. There are also Ensure and other high protein puddings.

Whoever said it had a point. Older people, particularly with dementia, seem to have a preference for sweets.

 

[amberpi]

After a feeding tube it took me quite a while to re-gain my appetite, and I lost a lot of weight, far too, scary much. Everyone did what you're describing as soft foods were just less trouble to eat, so tons of protein supplement drinks, homemade juices and smoothies, jello (I can eat this by the gallon and love it like small children). If swallowing is ok, my doc asked what my favorite cookie was (snickernoodles and sugar) and suggested softening them in milk. It made me hungry for other food so I wasn't just eating to live. Pasta was one of the first other things I found ok.

Agree with a PP - Ensure is super gross. Eventually, I found a protein drink from GNC I really enjoyed. I don't like fake chocolate and their strawberry protein drink was actually good vs. having to force myself to eat.

I hope this turns around for you super quick! I'll be sending ya'll good thoughts Sounds like you're on top of it!

 

[melissapealo]

I don't have much experience with this but what about yogurt,pudding,jello, things like that. Maybe to help a little until the Dr. appointment. Sounds like your parent is in good hands.

 

[aprilgail]

I use the extra calorie ensure blended with her favorite strawberry ice cream plus protein powder- she has gotten back up to her "starting weight" since I have been doing that- my mom is 88 and just doesn't bother with eating- I will come home from work in the later afternoon and ask her what she ate that day and she will say "oh I haven't eaten since you gave me breakfast"- so I have to make sure I pump her up with extra calories and fat with the shakes.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I agree with the need for swallowing studies. In advanced dementia, the swallowing reflex can become dysfunctional as a result of the person's neurological changes, so you'll want to make sure some of the food isn't accidentally going into her lungs. (Aka aspiration, which can lead to aspiration pneumonia.) Is she coughing at all when she eats? Hopefully it's something simple like ill-fitting dentures. We went through this also with a beloved family member and it was difficult. Here is an article I hope helps.

https://www.alz.org/care/alzheimers-food-eating.asp