Dad started refusing food and staying in bed. How can I entice his appetite?

We tell my dad yogurt is pudding, and he loves it! Good for him and easy to get down.

We tell my dad yogurt is pudding, and he loves it! Good for him and easy to get down.

Surgery can really do a number on elders and especially those with dementia. Maybe a younger healthy person would be back eating by now, but it is not surprising that your father isn't. The softer foods, maybe with a sweet appeal to them, as blannie suggests, might help through the transition until he feels more like his old self.

Will he drink? Make him smoothies in the blender which can have a lot of good stuff in them (fruit, milk of some sort, even protein powder). Can you see if he'd eat something like a milkshake or applesauce or ice cream - softer stuff, easier to eat and swallow and see if that would work as a start.