Can anyone help?

Claire-Louise

Registered User
Jun 2, 2004
1
0
Northamptonshire
My Grandfather is 84 and has just been diagnosed with Alzheimers. He is awaiting an appointment with the consultant to discuss any medication he may be able to take. Unfortunately at the moment, he is losing a lot of weight despite eating really well. Is this normal? His partner makes sure he eats regularly but is worried that his weight loss is still continuing. Can anyone tell me if this is common and how we can help him?
Thank you, I am so worried I don't know where else to turn.
 

Bugsy

Registered User
Jun 1, 2004
20
0
Rochester, Kent
Hi Claire-Louise
It was interesting reading your recent posting as my dad was diagnosed with dementia only 6 months ago, although we certainly had our suspicions about a year ago. One of the things that happened to dad 3.5 years ago was a rapid weight loss - he went to the doctors and we have mentioned it numerous times to doctors nothing was ever done to remedy it. Dad was a tall well built chap weighing 13 stone, he is now around 9stone, still tall but all skin and bones. We put it down to him having the flu in 2000 very badly but he has never regained weight. He eats healthily too, in fact he is always eating. Has anyone else this experience?
 

Brucie

Registered User
Jan 31, 2004
12,413
0
near London
My wife Jan was over eight stones before the dementia kicked in.

She too experienced a rapid weight loss while at home when I was cooking for her, before she went into care. I know for a fact then that she ate a small fraction of what she had previously done, and I put the weight loss down to that. She reached 5 stones at her lightest.

Now she is in a care home and has stabilised, she has put a little bit of weight back on, but her appetite is legendary - she eats far more than I do. Despite her low weight, her strength is enormous.

On the food front, I notice that if one puts food to her lips, Jan will automatically try to eat it. [I've nearly lost a finger several times!] I know she seems not to feel pain nowadays, and I wonder if her body can no longer sense whether she is full. I know it does register if she is hungry!