Hi! My Dad was diagnosed with mixed dementia in 2019, he also had diabetes. We lost Mum back in 2020, so for the last 3 years he has lived on his own. He still lives in his own house. Dad has got to the point where he's saying he's not hungry but he needs to eat regularly due to the insulin he has to take. Carers go in 3 times a day, to sort his food but when you encourage him to eat he can get quite annoyed and sharp. Has anyone had dealings with this, as we're struggling? Any advise/help would be greatly appreciated.
Dementia and Diabetes
- Thread starter Caltom
- Start date
Hi @Caltom welcome to the forum
Sadly loss of appetite seems to be normal for most people with dementia and I don’t think you’ll be able to force your dad to eat. My mum also had diabetes and as her illness progressed she ate very little apart from sweets and puddings- obviously not ideal!
I think you need to get in touch with your dad’s GP or diabetes nurse. I suspect your dad will need a medicine review to make sure he’s still getting the right amount of insulin and some advise on how to manage his fluctuations in appetite.
Have you got an LPA for health as if not you’ll need your dad’s permission for his GP to speak to you about him. There’s nothing to stop you letting them know what’s happening though.
Sadly loss of appetite seems to be normal for most people with dementia and I don’t think you’ll be able to force your dad to eat. My mum also had diabetes and as her illness progressed she ate very little apart from sweets and puddings- obviously not ideal!
I think you need to get in touch with your dad’s GP or diabetes nurse. I suspect your dad will need a medicine review to make sure he’s still getting the right amount of insulin and some advise on how to manage his fluctuations in appetite.
Have you got an LPA for health as if not you’ll need your dad’s permission for his GP to speak to you about him. There’s nothing to stop you letting them know what’s happening though.
Hi, thank you for the reply.
The GP and diabetic nurses are all aware and know of the problems we are having. I had read lack of appetite was part of the dementia. It's just so frustrating as he's losing weight and no longer understands why he needs to eat. Like your Mum he also enjoys the sweeter things in life. He now thinks nothing of eating a handful of biscuits or an apple crumble but give him a sandwich and he curls his nose up. Fruit and yoghurts also seem to go down without too much of a fight. I have to say I've stopped worrying too much about this, I'm more grateful that he's eating. We've also found that if he's out, i.e. pub meal, or bbq with family, he eats so much better.
LPA was sorted sometime ago, one less thing to worry about.
I appreciate your advise and if you hear of any tips on how to get people to eat, without an argument, I'd appreciate it.
The GP and diabetic nurses are all aware and know of the problems we are having. I had read lack of appetite was part of the dementia. It's just so frustrating as he's losing weight and no longer understands why he needs to eat. Like your Mum he also enjoys the sweeter things in life. He now thinks nothing of eating a handful of biscuits or an apple crumble but give him a sandwich and he curls his nose up. Fruit and yoghurts also seem to go down without too much of a fight. I have to say I've stopped worrying too much about this, I'm more grateful that he's eating. We've also found that if he's out, i.e. pub meal, or bbq with family, he eats so much better.
LPA was sorted sometime ago, one less thing to worry about.
I appreciate your advise and if you hear of any tips on how to get people to eat, without an argument, I'd appreciate it.
HbA1c blood test result will give a three month average blood sugar. I don’t know how old your dad is but I would say that in older patients running higher than target is less dangerous that going hypo.
Insulin can be reduced or taken away altogether as your dad isn’t eating as much.
I wouldn’t make this phase of your live all about having fights over healthy eating. If something is going in to balance out the meds it’s a win.
Insulin can be reduced or taken away altogether as your dad isn’t eating as much.
I wouldn’t make this phase of your live all about having fights over healthy eating. If something is going in to balance out the meds it’s a win.
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