Refusal to eat or drink

[Catherine47]

Hi
My father has Alzheimer’s, he had a tumour removed over a month ago now, he is still in hospital because he will no longer walk ..this isn’t due to his operation. He just decided his legs won’t work now. He can’t be placed in a home as it often requires 4 nurses to manage him and homes cannot provide that level of care. He is feared of everything medical that needs to be to done ..taking his temperature or sats etc .Over the past couple of weeks my dad has been refusing to eat and drink and becomes aggressive when we try to encourage. The hospital are seeming to just put it to part of dementia. I am just wondering if there is a way forward with this , any drip feeding etc he would just pull out. I’m at a loss of what will help, any recommendations would be greatly appreciated

 

[canary]

hello @Catherine47 and welcome to the forum

Im so sorry to hear about your dad. Was the tumour removed under general anaesthetic? Unfortunately a GA is a known risk for progressing the dementia and I think this is why he has suddenly lost mobility.

I think you need to talk to the doctors at the hospital and be prepared to have a very open and frank conversation about what is happening.

 

[Sarasa]

Welcome to Dementia Support Forum @Catherine47.
Hospitals are not great places for people with dementia as the staff are often too stretched to be able to fully meet the person with dementia's needs. The operation and the anaesthetic used have probably also caused your father's dementia to advance. Have you spoken to the PALs service at the hospital and the hospital social worker about what could be done to make sure your dad gets the support he needs. You could also see if the hospital has a dementia nurse who might be able to help.
I don't think drips etc will help. Your dad will probably try to pull them out, certainly my mother did as she didn't understand what they were.

 

[Catherine47]

hello @Catherine47 and welcome to the forum

Im so sorry to hear about your dad. Was the tumour removed under general anaesthetic? Unfortunately a GA is a known risk for progressing the dementia and I think this is why he has suddenly lost mobility.

I think you need to talk to the doctors at the hospital and be prepared to have a very open and frank conversation about what is happening.

Thanks for your reply, sorry it’s took so long to reply, couldn’t figure out how to use this forum properly. Hes had two recent GAs so a big contributing factor I guess. Have spoken with doctors in detail now, just really sad 😞

 

[canary]

Thanks for your reply, sorry it’s took so long to reply, couldn’t figure out how to use this forum properly. Hes had two recent GAs so a big contributing factor I guess. Have spoken with doctors in detail now, just really sad 😞

Im so sorry
Does this mean that he is now at End of Life?