MY Nan won't eat..

marcdb

Registered User
Jul 1, 2015
3
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My Nan has dementia.. like most people on here i guess. She is living with my Aunt who refuses any outside help.. Over the last 4 weeks my gran has stopped eating. She has gone from 52kg to 41kg and just refuses to eat. She is convinced that she has had a good dinner every day and will not eat anything that my aunt tries to give her.
In it normal for dementia suffers to starve themselves to death???
 

Gigglemore

Registered User
Oct 18, 2013
526
0
British Isles
Not sure what stage your Nan is at but that sounds like a terrible weight loss over such a short period. Really think your aunt needs to be persuaded to get some expert advice. Could your Nan be persuaded to drink fortified drinks such as Fortisip or Ensure?
 

joggyb

Registered User
Dec 1, 2014
119
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My Nan has dementia.. like most people on here i guess. She is living with my Aunt who refuses any outside help.. Over the last 4 weeks my gran has stopped eating. She has gone from 52kg to 41kg and just refuses to eat. She is convinced that she has had a good dinner every day and will not eat anything that my aunt tries to give her.
In it normal for dementia suffers to starve themselves to death???

I'd reiterate what Gigglemore has said. This sounds very worrying to me. Can you/your aunt get the GP and/or Social Services to see your Nan and to suggest a way forward? It seems your aunt needs some kind of additional help and expertise. In the meantime - will your Nan drink? If so, I'd try her on meal replacement drinks, protein shakes, smoothies, soups, etc. Also try ice creams, lollies, jellies, and the like in this weather.

But DO get help. This is too much of a burden for your aunt to carry alone.
 

marcdb

Registered User
Jul 1, 2015
3
0
Not sure what stage your Nan is at but that sounds like a terrible weight loss over such a short period. Really think your aunt needs to be persuaded to get some expert advice. Could your Nan be persuaded to drink fortified drinks such as Fortisip or Ensure?
Unfortunately my Aunt gets very angry if i suggest outside help. I have bought alot of complan to give to my gran which she does drink but it hasn't stopped her losing weight. Today i will call my grans GP and try to get some adivce.
 

joggyb

Registered User
Dec 1, 2014
119
0
Unfortunately my Aunt gets very angry if i suggest outside help. I have bought alot of complan to give to my gran which she does drink but it hasn't stopped her losing weight. Today i will call my grans GP and try to get some adivce.

Your Nan's health must take precedence over your Aunt's anger. I'm sure you will have done this already, but try explaining to your Aunt that no-one is suggesting that she's not doing a good job - it's just that dementia is horribly problematic and needs specialist expertise. It must be plain to your Aunt that something is drastically wrong, surely? I
 

marcdb

Registered User
Jul 1, 2015
3
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Your Nan's health must take precedence over your Aunt's anger. I'm sure you will have done this already, but try explaining to your Aunt that no-one is suggesting that she's not doing a good job - it's just that dementia is horribly problematic and needs specialist expertise. It must be plain to your Aunt that something is drastically wrong, surely? I
Ive called GP today who was not very helpfull. My Aunt knows that something is wrong but she seems to think that she can cope ... My gran doesn't really know what is going on around her, but she is srt5ill able to walk around the local streets everyday. When she doe this she believes that she has eaten a big dinner in a cafe or restaurant... Nan will not allow anyone to help her or evden give her some advice.. she thinks that she is normal.... not sure what to do next??
 

joggyb

Registered User
Dec 1, 2014
119
0
Ive called GP today who was not very helpfull. My Aunt knows that something is wrong but she seems to think that she can cope ... My gran doesn't really know what is going on around her, but she is srt5ill able to walk around the local streets everyday. When she doe this she believes that she has eaten a big dinner in a cafe or restaurant... Nan will not allow anyone to help her or evden give her some advice.. she thinks that she is normal.... not sure what to do next??

You must get help somehow. What did your GP actually say? If s/he wasn't helpful, is there another GP at the practice that you could try? Don't take no for an answer. Try phoning your local branch of Alzheimer's Soc or AgeUK and see what advice and support they can give you. In the meantime, do try alternatives to Complan to get some calories in your nan - in this hot weather, cold sugary drinks, smoothies, lollies, ice creams are worth a try...
 

spurs50

Registered User
Nov 11, 2012
16
0
My nan won't eat

My Nan has dementia.. like most people on here i guess. She is living with my Aunt who refuses any outside help.. Over the last 4 weeks my gran has stopped eating. She has gone from 52kg to 41kg and just refuses to eat. She is convinced that she has had a good dinner every day and will not eat anything that my aunt tries to give her.
In it normal for dementia suffers to starve themselves to death???

My mum does the same. She refuses to open her mouth. She has no teeth as she couldn't open her mouth to get an impression for dentures. We now purée all her food and use a syringe to get it down her, same with drinks. Once she has tasted a little then she will eat it. Can you get your nan to taste a bit and you eat at the same time what she has. This might help.
 

Pickles53

Registered User
Feb 25, 2014
2,474
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Radcliffe on Trent
My Nan has dementia.. like most people on here i guess. She is living with my Aunt who refuses any outside help.. Over the last 4 weeks my gran has stopped eating. She has gone from 52kg to 41kg and just refuses to eat. She is convinced that she has had a good dinner every day and will not eat anything that my aunt tries to give her.
In it normal for dementia suffers to starve themselves to death???

It does not seem to be unusual for people with dementia to lose any interest in eating; they seem to lose any sense of hunger or thirst or appetite so logically if you don't feel hungry why eat? It certainly happened with my mum. We thought that her weight loss was primarily caused by the difficulties she was having at home with cooking, shopping etc. but it didn't improve when she moved to a care home with lovely home-cooked meals and eventually she stopped eating altogether.

I've read elsewhere on TP that they think it's sometimes a way of the person trying to maintain some control of their life when so much else is out of control. Others say that they have been told by doctors that it is indicative of a person approaching the end of life phase. 'They are not dying because they are not eating; they are not eating because they are dying.' It's not a thought anyone wants to face when they see a loved one apparently wasting away. We did everything we could to encourage mum to eat, but were adamant that she should not be forced in any way.
 

Long-Suffering

Registered User
Jul 6, 2015
425
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My dad's symptoms match stage 6 dementia. His symptoms are the opposite of your nan's: he thinks he hasn't eaten when he already has and he'll get angry and start demanding food. That's on some days. Other days he is terrified of eating and refuses completely.

Several months ago he started to have food issues. It's now reached the point where he often gets distressed at mealtimes and doesn't want to eat. Mum has to mash everything and feed him with a spoon like a baby. He can't identify what he's eating and although mum always gives him his favourite foods he always complains it tastes terrible. I've talked to him about it and he can't really put it into words, but it seems like food has lost its taste and he just feels like he's eating cardboard. Plus he has no appetite or desire to eat. He also has a physical problem with swallowing which is another stage, so I guess there might be a real fear of choking in his mind when he tries to eat.

This is just how his brother was before he passed away 2 years ago. He lost interest in food and stopped eating altogether. They had to feed him by tube.

LS
 

Thistlekicker

Registered User
Jul 7, 2015
3
0
Not easy

My Mum says she's not hungry but we still give her something anyway which she will then eat .Soups , rice pudding , porridge go down well but try and give her finger foods Pieces of fruit Grapes pear bananas go down well along with a piece of cheese and vcrisps are current favourite but must be Walkers Lol she gave the carers hell this weekend cos I bought Aldi own brand but still ate them ?! Probably 5 small meals a day are good now not forgetting the compulsory small glass of sherry at tea time ! Can't do any harm at 95 ;)