About 3-4 weeks ago mum stopped eating and drinking.
In terms of not eating and drinking, I have found that my mum does this from time to time and my dad also did this before he passed away.
There are numerous reasons but here's a few tips I have leant from recent experience:
*Difficulty swallowing and being scared of choking - as others have said wetter or liquid foods like broths help but so can adding gravy, white sauce, tomato sauce to any main course solid foods and cutting solid food like sausages up small before serving them. Also try soaking a piece of sponge cake in custard or cream for desert
*Difficulty of being able to hold a knife and fork or fear of dropping and breaking a glass - ditto above re: cutting up food, but also make sure you give a spoon which can be easier to handle and make sure the cutlery isn't too heavy. Make sure drinking vessels are not too heavy and have a wide stable base
*Not liking the taste as all food seems bland - try spicing up the food - adding curry/sweet chilli or even pepper or herbs to flavour it more. My mum never used to like chilli or garlic but loves it now (although if you ask her she will still say she doesn't like it).
*paranoia that someone is trying to poison them (this even extends to refusing to take medicine and prescribed tablets). Difficult to counteract this one apart from continual reassurance and reminding someone they need to keep up their strength through eating.
*If drinks are being refused try varying between hot and cold drinks, and variation in terms of taste, so if tea isn't being drunk then try a hot or cold Ribena instead. Also try something like a lager shandy or cider shandy as the bit of alcohol and fizz may help to enliven the tastebuds. Using a brightly coloured plastic beaker can also help to remind someone that they have a drink in front of them.
*Give lots of variety but at different times. Try not to offer too many options all at once or people with dementia may become confused and may refuse to eat anything.
*If you ask someone if they want food and they say no, then wait a few minutes and give them something on a plate to nibble. Also never offer more than 2 options at a time if you are asking e.g. "do you want fish or chicken?". We once had a carer who read out everything in the fridge to dad. No wonder he refused, he was exhausted and confused by the time she had finished listing everything! She also wasted lots of food which passed it's sell by date as she didn't take any notice of the dates on the labels!!
I have found the one food that mum consistently wolfs down is jaffa cakes. The original label ones, not own brand. Although it's not the most nutritional of foods, at least having some calories is better than having none at all.
Your mum might have a similar favourite...