My mother who is 90 next month lives alone in an Assisted Living flat. Ever since my dad passed away, twelve and a half years ago, I have been responsible for her grocery shopping which I now do by a supermarket delivery service. The changes in what she asks me to order and what she eats are one of the things that alerted me to the possibility of dementia and she has just been diagnosed with Alzheimer's.
The only things that she actually asks for now are chocolates, biscuits and icecream. When I check her fridge I find all the healthy things, vegetables, salads etc. well past their sell-by dates and going off. She will heat a ready-meal in the microwave and eat it but has stopped making meals like she used to like casseroles and simple pasta dishes. She doesn't even make a sandwich any more and I find unused ham and cheese as well as bread and spread. I'm quite sure that she has been 'filling up' by replacing meals with the sweet things. There is Type 2 Diatbetes in the family and I am very aware that a healthy diet is important but she doesn't seem to be. Her doctors agree with me that the sweet foods should be limited but it is very hard for me. She begs me to order icecreams and biscuits and I have tried low sugar versions but she doesn't like them. The brands that she asks for are the high calorie ones. My brother says that if he takes her a box of chocolates she eats them all at once in an evening. She seems to have forgotten how to be sensible, a large packet of biscuits that used to last a week or more now only last a day or two. On one hand I want to please her but on the other I feel responsible for getting her to eat a healthy diet. Sorry for rambling but I would be very interested to hear if anyone else has these issues and any advice on dealing with them.
The only things that she actually asks for now are chocolates, biscuits and icecream. When I check her fridge I find all the healthy things, vegetables, salads etc. well past their sell-by dates and going off. She will heat a ready-meal in the microwave and eat it but has stopped making meals like she used to like casseroles and simple pasta dishes. She doesn't even make a sandwich any more and I find unused ham and cheese as well as bread and spread. I'm quite sure that she has been 'filling up' by replacing meals with the sweet things. There is Type 2 Diatbetes in the family and I am very aware that a healthy diet is important but she doesn't seem to be. Her doctors agree with me that the sweet foods should be limited but it is very hard for me. She begs me to order icecreams and biscuits and I have tried low sugar versions but she doesn't like them. The brands that she asks for are the high calorie ones. My brother says that if he takes her a box of chocolates she eats them all at once in an evening. She seems to have forgotten how to be sensible, a large packet of biscuits that used to last a week or more now only last a day or two. On one hand I want to please her but on the other I feel responsible for getting her to eat a healthy diet. Sorry for rambling but I would be very interested to hear if anyone else has these issues and any advice on dealing with them.