MIL not wanting to eat. She says food just makes her sick. Doesn’t even like the sight of foot. Can’t hardly get her to eat anything. They’ve got her on an antidepressant that should make her hungry. That’s one of the side effects. But so far it doesn’t. Does dementia change their eating habits as well?
The brain is dying and since the brain controls EVERYTHING, its deterioration will affect EVERYTHING. Certain tastes, textures, etc may become unpleasant. she can also forget how to eat or think that she already has. It's a wild ride.
The longer an elder is afflicted by dementia, the worse things get. She can start refusing meds, showers, changing clothes, all sorts of ugly things start happening to some. In the final year of her life, my mother went from eating like a truck driver to turning her nose up at her favorite cookies. That's when we KNEW she was headed down the final leg of her long journey., which was a blessing really. She's finally free of dementia, out of a wheelchair and dancing with God now.