My Mother almost (96) has stopped eating. Any advice?

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Tpotlady Asked October 2015

My Mother almost (96) has stopped eating. Any advice?

Her bones are extremely brittle and two weeks ago, her hip broke. My sister and I opted not to put her through surgery so she is now back in the skilled nursing center where she lives. She does have pretty advanced dementia but overall she is in very good spirits (she still recognizes and relates to me). It's not that she is refusing to eat but seems to have forgotten what food is or what it is for. She drinks her Ensure and will eat her pudding if I spoon feed her. Has anyone else had this experience and does it necessarily mean anything specific.

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score 1 · Answer 1

Going thru similar situation - my mom 91 - had vascular surgery on leg that sent her to a nursing rehab to help her walk again. There she got C-Dif that put her in ICU for 3 weeks. She survived, and is now at home bedridden and very weak. Her Alzheimers progressed and doesn't want food, especially anything to chew. Just spits it right out. On best days she has 2 Gerber baby food containers, a bit of yogurt with crushed medicines, and a bottle of strawberry protein drink. I upgrade the food with a poached egg yolk and add vanilla ice cream to her drink. She still swallows and I'm thankful with every spoonful I give her. I've found liquid vitamins, and hope that if she can get stronger it will help her. But what is most important is that she doesn't suffer and that we can keep her comfortable - one day at a time.

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score 3 · Answer 2

Tpot, it sounds like you're doing all you can do. I am glad you are there to keep her spirits up. When someone reaches the end of their time here, all we can do is wait with them until it is time to go. Big hugs.

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