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Any tips are tricks to get a parent to eat? I’ve been researching online, but would love to hear if anyone has had any success in getting nutrients to your elderly parents.
It will help if you tell us what exactly you are trying to accomplish, there's a difference between worrying about your parent not getting a balanced diet and them not getting enough calories. There's also a big difference between someone who wants to eat but is having difficulty doing that and someone who has no appetite and/or refuses to eat.
You would be amazed at how little nutrition our elders actually require to stay alive. They eat very little, often for years, and do OK. I would never force an elder to eat more than they want, nor, in truth, to bother them with scales and so on. I don't know the ages or conditions of the ones you love, but just offer good meals of things they like and hope for the best. Certainly, if you are POA, you can ask the doctor for a consult with a nutritionist about the best way to get in good quality food, and take one simple multivit daily would be a good move. Then go on to things they enjoy. Milkshakes worked for my Dad when anything at all did. Wishing you the best.
Langdml, easiest thing to do is let an elder eat what they want [unless there is a medical condition that requires a strict diet].
As we age we tend to lose our sense of taste. One big surprise for me, I use to love pizzas, but now I just don't care for the taste.
One thing elders can still taste are sweets. I remember my Mom's [in her 90's] grocery list for her and my Dad.... the vast majority of her grocery list was chocolate chip muffins, Little Debbie's, blueberry pie, whip cream, vanilla fudge ice cream, Pepperidge Farm cookies, etc. Yes, she had healthy items but not many.
Therefore, if an elder wants ice cream for breakfast, ask if they want one scoop or two :)
I agree. My mom LOVED ice cream and chocolate her whole life. She claimed they were two of the basic food groups. Once her Alzheimer’s progressed, she would forget that she had already eaten a bowl of ice cream, so she would fix another. At first I questioned it, but then I realized it gave her pleasure (especially after my dad died) and at 87 years old, she had earned it. I also gave her a small daily ration of her favorite Lindt chocolates ~ otherwise, she could eat a whole bag in one day. In between treats, I made sure she had three small healthy meals. I’m glad that the last thing she ate before she went to heaven was a bowl of mint chip ice cream.
My mom had no appetite. She took a couple of bites here and there.
Try speaking with a dietician. They are trained in nutrition. You can call a hospital near you and ask to speak with the dietitian on staff. My mom’s doctor told me to do this and the dietitian was willing to speak with me.
It’s challenging to find ways for the elderly without an adequate appetite to eat. Best wishes to you.
My mom laughs when I say "What to you feed an 84yo woman with end stage COPD? Anything she wants."
I've gotten my mom's weight to flit around here and there but the amount she needs to eat to gain weight, which is delivered in a 'browsing' style by me endlessly dropping snack of fruits, nuts, etc on her tray, packs of cookies, cheese crackers, candy, etc ... she will end up eating herself sick, (which is STILL a small amount of food to a normal person) and then it's the opposite way for awhile. Food stops re-building us after awhile, and as she doesn't move much she doesn't need much energy. Pretty sure her lungs, burning energy like a marathon runner at this stage, are powered by sweet-tarts and tootsie roll pops.
Seriously though, at least in my mom's case "putting on weight" just isn't really possible, all the 'tricks' to make her eat just make her uncomfortable feeling, which then assigns a negative connotation to mealtime.
Besides the candy and junk-food everything else is cooked from scratch at home (but I'm not churning my own butter levels of 'scratch'). I guess there's some badness in regards to the level of sodium, sugar, and fats added to processed foods that don't work out well once we get older. it a lot of work cooking from scratch but i was already doing it before mom moved in so. there's likely healthier processed options that might work.
I did similar things that Caldinea mentioned. Mom could not chew well so she could only have soft items. Ensure caused incontinence. I did use Ensure mixed fruit drink. 180 calories. But, she was always open to “from scratch” items. I made homemade Mexican cornbread every day, all types of beans cooked and mashed. Homemade soup. I had much better results with homemade items. But, I will tell you that I was not very successful. It was almost as though her body would not utilize the calories.
I wish you success. It is not easy to see your LO get frail.
“It was almost as though her body would not utilize the calories.” In this case I think the value partially, perhaps primarily, lies with the enjoyment your mom might receive from favorite foods.
The albumin blood test is helpful in understanding what is going on and is usually part of normal blood work. When my dads albumin was low his ankles collected fluid. His dr prescribed an appetite stimulate which helped him gain weight and his appetite and weight returned to normal. His favorite food was malts.
The stimulates can have side effects though we didn’t notice any. The one my dad was on was Megace. DH aunt is on it now. It is helping her. She was on Periactin which did nothing to help.
This link has natural remedies listed as well as explaining the prescription choices.
https://dakotadietitians.com/appetite-stimulant/
Frailty is supposed to be helped by an egg a day. I always did a soft scramble or an egg and milk pudding with bananas and vanilla wafers (banana pudding) such as a simple vanilla pudding or egg custard.
This recipe allows you to make enough egg custard at one time to last for a few days. Wouldn’t last long around me. I like it warm.
Just saw this: https://thegeriatricdietitian.com/storefront/
Check with the insurance company to see what benefits are available to help remedy this situation, I'm pretty sure malnutrition would be considered an ailment, if not a health emergency.
Is she losing weight to the point where you think it is not healthy? Is it loss of appetite, or difficulty swallowing? With age, and also with dementia, there can be problems with eating and swallowing. My mother had dementia, and as it advanced, she first lost all of her table manners and acted like a child, playing with her food. Then she "pocketed" her food (put it into her cheeks and didn't swallow. She was in a memory care facility and they recommended switching her to soft foods, which they did. Then she lost the ability to feed herself and had to be fed. Some people with age have difficulty swallowing liquids. When this happens, the facility thickened the liquids. I've also noticed that many elderly people develop a taste for sweet things, even if they didn't have it previously. Products like Ensure, which provide a meal in liquid form, can be used to supplement their nutrition.
By proceeding, I agree that I understand the following disclosures:
I. How We Work in Washington.
Based on your preferences, we provide you with information about one or more of our contracted senior living providers ("Participating Communities") and provide your Senior Living Care Information to Participating Communities. The Participating Communities may contact you directly regarding their services.
APFM does not endorse or recommend any provider. It is your sole responsibility to select the appropriate care for yourself or your loved one. We work with both you and the Participating Communities in your search. We do not permit our Advisors to have an ownership interest in Participating Communities.
II. How We Are Paid.
We do not charge you any fee – we are paid by the Participating Communities. Some Participating Communities pay us a percentage of the first month's standard rate for the rent and care services you select. We invoice these fees after the senior moves in.
III. When We Tour.
APFM tours certain Participating Communities in Washington (typically more in metropolitan areas than in rural areas.) During the 12 month period prior to December 31, 2017, we toured 86.2% of Participating Communities with capacity for 20 or more residents.
IV. No Obligation or Commitment.
You have no obligation to use or to continue to use our services. Because you pay no fee to us, you will never need to ask for a refund.
V. Complaints.
Please contact our Family Feedback Line at (866) 584-7340 or ConsumerFeedback@aplaceformom.com to report any complaint. Consumers have many avenues to address a dispute with any referral service company, including the right to file a complaint with the Attorney General's office at: Consumer Protection Division, 800 5th Avenue, Ste. 2000, Seattle, 98104 or 800-551-4636.
VI. No Waiver of Your Rights.
APFM does not (and may not) require or even ask consumers seeking senior housing or care services in Washington State to sign waivers of liability for losses of personal property or injury or to sign waivers of any rights established under law.
I agree that:
A.
I authorize A Place For Mom ("APFM") to collect certain personal and contact detail information, as well as relevant health care information about me or from me about the senior family member or relative I am assisting ("Senior Living Care Information").
B.
APFM may provide information to me electronically. My electronic signature on agreements and documents has the same effect as if I signed them in ink.
C.
APFM may send all communications to me electronically via e-mail or by access to an APFM web site.
D.
If I want a paper copy, I can print a copy of the Disclosures or download the Disclosures for my records.
E.
This E-Sign Acknowledgement and Authorization applies to these Disclosures and all future Disclosures related to APFM's services, unless I revoke my authorization. You may revoke this authorization in writing at any time (except where we have already disclosed information before receiving your revocation.) This authorization will expire after one year.
F.
You consent to APFM's reaching out to you using a phone system than can auto-dial numbers (we miss rotary phones, too!), but this consent is not required to use our service.
As we age we tend to lose our sense of taste. One big surprise for me, I use to love pizzas, but now I just don't care for the taste.
One thing elders can still taste are sweets. I remember my Mom's [in her 90's] grocery list for her and my Dad.... the vast majority of her grocery list was chocolate chip muffins, Little Debbie's, blueberry pie, whip cream, vanilla fudge ice cream, Pepperidge Farm cookies, etc. Yes, she had healthy items but not many.
Therefore, if an elder wants ice cream for breakfast, ask if they want one scoop or two :)
https://www.agingcare.com/articles/reasons-why-your-aging-parent-may-not-be-eating-properly-and-what-you-can-do-about-it-133239.htm
Try speaking with a dietician. They are trained in nutrition. You can call a hospital near you and ask to speak with the dietitian on staff. My mom’s doctor told me to do this and the dietitian was willing to speak with me.
It’s challenging to find ways for the elderly without an adequate appetite to eat. Best wishes to you.
I've gotten my mom's weight to flit around here and there but the amount she needs to eat to gain weight, which is delivered in a 'browsing' style by me endlessly dropping snack of fruits, nuts, etc on her tray, packs of cookies, cheese crackers, candy, etc ... she will end up eating herself sick, (which is STILL a small amount of food to a normal person) and then it's the opposite way for awhile. Food stops re-building us after awhile, and as she doesn't move much she doesn't need much energy. Pretty sure her lungs, burning energy like a marathon runner at this stage, are powered by sweet-tarts and tootsie roll pops.
Seriously though, at least in my mom's case "putting on weight" just isn't really possible, all the 'tricks' to make her eat just make her uncomfortable feeling, which then assigns a negative connotation to mealtime.
Besides the candy and junk-food everything else is cooked from scratch at home (but I'm not churning my own butter levels of 'scratch'). I guess there's some badness in regards to the level of sodium, sugar, and fats added to processed foods that don't work out well once we get older. it a lot of work cooking from scratch but i was already doing it before mom moved in so. there's likely healthier processed options that might work.
I wish you success. It is not easy to see your LO get frail.
In this case I think the value partially, perhaps primarily, lies with the enjoyment your mom might receive from favorite foods.
The albumin blood test is helpful in understanding what is going on and is usually part of normal blood work. When my dads albumin was low his ankles collected fluid. His dr prescribed an appetite stimulate which helped him gain weight and his appetite and weight returned to normal. His favorite food was malts.
The stimulates can have side effects though we didn’t notice any. The one my dad was on was Megace.
DH aunt is on it now. It is helping her. She was on Periactin which did nothing to help.
This link has natural remedies listed as well as explaining the prescription choices.
https://dakotadietitians.com/appetite-stimulant/
Frailty is supposed to be helped by an egg a day. I always did a soft scramble or an egg and milk pudding with bananas and vanilla wafers (banana pudding) such as a simple vanilla pudding or egg custard.
This recipe allows you to make enough egg custard at one time to last for a few days. Wouldn’t last long around me. I like it warm.
https://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/traditional-egg-custard-pudding/#wprm-recipe-container-35872
Just saw this: https://thegeriatricdietitian.com/storefront/
Check with the insurance company to see what benefits are available to help remedy this situation, I'm pretty sure malnutrition would be considered an ailment, if not a health emergency.