Decline in appetite

[Selinacroft]

Had GP out today who said Dad's ymptoms including loss of apetite are due to increasing dementia.
Dad had toast and egg for breakfast, barely a mouthful or two for lunch and tinned fruit for tea. This seems very little and although Dad's appetite has been less than usual he has managed 3 meals a day until recently. I would be interested to hear other people's experience of appetite dwindling. Has it been rapid, even within a week? Does it come and go, how long before he wants even less and any tips on what I can tempt him with. The word fussy doesn't even come close, nothing hard, chewy, green, burnt, containing bits-the list goes on. Refuses all supplements from the dietician.
Would be grateful fo rany insight anyone can share on timescale etc

 

[love.dad.but..]

Dads appetite has dwindled over months and some days are better than others. He often manages to eat breakfast but has to be fed lunch and supper often either walking away or falling asleep. I think he builds up a bit of an appetite during the night, he is up a few times, so the brain sends signals that he is hungry and how to use a fork in the morning but by lunch his appetite and what and why he needs to eat just isn't there. He eats enough to tick over but is very definite pulling his mouth away from the spoon when he won't eat. Part of the dementia decline unfortunately for some. Sometimes finger food is more successful than dinner type food, perhaps less effort and more appealing

 

[father ted]

Had GP out today who said Dad's ymptoms including loss of apetite are due to increasing dementia.
Dad had toast and egg for breakfast, barely a mouthful or two for lunch and tinned fruit for tea. This seems very little and although Dad's appetite has been less than usual he has managed 3 meals a day until recently. I would be interested to hear other people's experience of appetite dwindling. Has it been rapid, even within a week? Does it come and go, how long before he wants even less and any tips on what I can tempt him with. The word fussy doesn't even come close, nothing hard, chewy, green, burnt, containing bits-the list goes on. Refuses all supplements from the dietician.
Would be grateful fo rany insight anyone can share on timescale etc

Same here. Mum always had very good appetite but now 7 years into AD she doesn't eat much. A weetabix and toast at breakfast, sandwich for lunch and dinner is often just 2 baby potatoes with small piece of fish(would fit on a tea plate), or half a sandwich. Again no fruit, no salad, no greens, nothing chewy, no lumps but always can manage chocolate. Always says she is full. I find it's better to serve her up a small portion of what we are eating because she will then eat some of it whereas if I ask her she usually refuses.

 

[Georgina63]

Similar here. Mum's appetite improved when she moved into a CH a few months ago, but this has deteriorated over the past few weeks and she is less inclined to eat at mealtimes and now needs more help. She has lost weight and has recently been put on supplements. Sorry to not have any advice to offer, it's very hard to watch this happen. Gx

 

[Lisa74]

Fortisip Prescription?

Hi,

I'm really sorry to hear about your Dad's lack of appetite. We have found Prescription 'Fortisip' meal drinks very helpful.

If there are only a few foods that your Dad will eat then perhaps cook these multiple times per day and also provide any snacks/treats that you think he might tuck into. If your Dad forgets that he has eaten breakfast a short time after finishing his meal, you can always provide a second round of egg on toast.

If he is losing a lot of weight you can also do things like add cream to certain dishes, put extra sugars in his tea or melt butter into dishes.

 

[Selinacroft]

Thanks Lisa
I tried the fortisip but he wouldn't accept it , same with fortijuice.
He is in hospital at the moment and tucked into a soft diet quite hapily yesterday so it looks like soft food is the way forward.

 

[Spamar]

Just to add that when OH was on the fortisips, there were only one or two flavours that he liked. The local chemist was very good and gave me a variety of flavours, blow what the prescription said! I guess he had come across this before! So try some different flavours, it may or may not work, but as least you have tried!

 

[LadyA]

When William was in the nursing home, they had the fortified nutrition in the form of a mousse, which he really liked. He didn't like the drinks, and it had always been difficult to get fluids into him. The mousse was easier to get into him - it was like a "treat". He liked the vanilla flavour and a chocolate/orange flavour. Unfortunately, I don't remember what they were called.

 

[MERENAME]

Dad would eat the chewy protein bars that were covered in chocolate if they were cut up as they were like sweets. Only the soft ones really tempted him. Worth looking at diet bars and shakes that are fortified and protein products.
It's really worrying and it's worth talking to the doctor about potential drug treatments even if it's not yet time for them.

 

[Jessbow]

Would he graze between meals? Finger foods that he can just pick up and put in his mouth? If he likes eggs, scramble and put in a sandwich - moister than boiled.

My now late mother has no interest in 3 times a day meals, was just too much effort, she had a constant supply of bits to graze on, and pint after pint of Jelly!
Most of the stuff was nutritionally quite poor but it sustained her. Dairlylea cheese triangles for one ( left unwrapped)

If he'll eat Jelly, replace some of the water with a can of evaporated milk, or add fortisip to it as well ( pick your flavour obviously)

 

[LadyA]

Yep, jelly is great, and counts towards fluid intake. And if he would eat ice cream, give that. William's nursing home used to give him tiny sandwiches on soft white bread with no crusts, several times a day. He might only eat one or two. Scrambled eggs also good- try grating some cheddar cheese in.

Sent from my Moto G Play using Talking Point mobile app

 

[la lucia]

My mother stopped eating much after a stroke when she was put on pureed food by the SALT team. She barely ate anything. She would just push food away.

I used to get pureed meals from Wiltshire Farm and make soups which I blended. Home made blended soups are a great way to smuggle in extra calories- I used to add Hellmans mayonnaise which is actually divine in chicken soup. I also used to crumble bread in or whatever.

Smoothies were also great for this. Also Sainsburys Belgium Chocolate Mousse has 300 calories Another favourite was mashed over ripe banana with Ambrosia Toffee Custard.....

Then she was put on Mirtazapine for her night time agitation. One of the side effects is increased appetite. It works! She eats a lot more now......

I did find that eating would come and go so I tried not to make an issue of it but I never ask I just serve things up and keep a vague running count of calories.

Her swallow improved slightly but I still find that it's easier for her if there's plenty of gravy or sauces accompanying whatever she eats.

 

[Lisa74]

I'm really sorry to hear he's in hospital at the moment.

La Lucia's suggestion of Wiltshire Farm Foods sounds good. They offer both 'Soft meals' and 'Pureed meals'. I guess it might be less expensive to just prepare softer meals.

 

[stanleypj]

Have you tried forticreme? It's like yogurt in consistency.

We're in the process of trying to get my wife to put on weight as she has lost weight ever since being admitted to a nursing home. I've had to do this before, at an earlier stage of the disease, and I followed a dietitian's advice that I should forget everything I'd ever been told about healthy eating and just pile in lots of anything that she would eat. It was a case if piling in the calories.

Has your dad lost much weight?

 

[legolover]

I agree with all the recommendations others have made. Decline in appetite is a natural part of the disease. Sometimes people like one particular flavour eg sweet, salty, spicy. Re the Wiltshire Farm foods...I think they are great, delivered and just need 10-15 mins in microwave depending what it is. They have 4 different consistencies of food..normal, extra tender where the meat is cut up into tiny pieces and everything is a bit softer, premashed (soft) which is as it says mashed potato, carrot, finely minced meat, puree which you need a spoon to eat and is completely smooth texture. They also do small portions for small appetites. I dont think they are expensive for the convenience you get and there is a huge choice. You could just order a few as a one off and see how he reacts.

I dont work for them , by the way!

 

[Selinacroft]

Thank you for all your suggestions, anything remotely like a yoghurt or a mousse he would never entertain eating them even on a good day.
He had 2 days at the hospital eating more than he has had for a while but yesterday he had stopped eating and drinking altogether. He has oral thrush from the anti biotics so that may be the reason or he may be nearing the last phase. I'm not really sure which as it is like being on a rollercoaster ride with all the ups and downs.

 

[MrsMoose]

I can never work out - with my father in law - is forgetfulness and how much is loss of appetite.

As far as I know he eats the communal lunch provided by his sheltered accommodation.

His carer who comes in in the morning is supposed to offer him toast. But we think he refuses and just has a hot drink.

We buy him food so that he can make himself breakfast or a light supper. However, there are many things we don't buy - meat/fish in particular - because he doesn't realise when food is going off. However, he doesn't touch the cheese, bread eggs etc - and we do have to throw mouldy stuff away. So he has one meal a day, plus coffee with evaporated milk plus occasional cake bars (stuff like Bakewell slices does get eaten sometimes.)

 

[lynnpc]

Mum has also had a loss of appetite, this first happened in October last year when she had a chest infection that went on to be pneumonia and she was in hospital and a care home for just over 6 weeks where she hardly ate a thing. Since then she has gone from 8 stone to 5 stone 9lbs and she seems to have lost most of her taste buds, she has gone off nearly all of the food she used to like and says it doesn't taste the same. She sometimes has a piece of fried bread (which I do in butter) with the crusts cut off and has a smearing of either tomato juice or baked bean juice, she sometimes eats all of this. I have also discovered that she likes a couple of plain chocolate mint crisps, apart from those she has gone off sweet stuff completely.
We have the dietician coming later this week so that will be interesting. I will let you know how it goes. x