Mom keeps fixing rotten food and doesn't see when it's gone bad. What can I do?
My mother served us brown corn last night and it's not the first time. She doesn't see when food has gone bad but will not acknowledge a problem even when it's pointed out.
If mom is still "serving" dinner, she's not doing too badly. This is a dementia thread. Does she have dementia? I'd get her vision checked. Most probably she can't see what she's eating. Also, sense of smell diminishes as we get older.
And Freqflyer, I laugh as I read your post. My dad would save anything (pack rat) and would eat anything also. He had a canned peanut butter GI ration from WW2! That darn depression turned a lot of people into crazies by saving things (used straws, used paper towels, etc.) and eating food that should have been thrown away.
There's another possibility - she doesn't smell spoiled food. I learned from our neurologist over a decade ago that Amiodarone prescribed for cardiac conditions can cause a loss of smell and taste.
If someone doesn't smell spoiled food, he/she might not realize it's spoiled unless there's obvious mold or other signs. And if spoilage isn't detectable by taste, it often gets eaten.
Does your mother have a cardiac condition and has she ever taken Amiodarone?
Maybe it's time for someone else to take over the cooking, to "help" Mom?
How is it being pointed out? There are ways and ways of doing this. Err on the "oops-a-daisy how did that happen oh what a pity" side rather than the "ugggghhhh mother are you trying to kill us" side.
But assuming that you have been diplomatic and sensitive towards your mother's feelings here, what do you think is going on? Is it a sight issue? Or more of a mental issue, do you think?
Joannie, what are your mother's medical issues? Does she have Alzheimer's/dementia? What about her eyesight? With the combination of the two, that could be the reason she doesn't notice bad food.
And some elders, who were raised during the Great Depression, they want to use everything in the refrigerator or panty even if the expiration date is months ago :(
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I'd get her vision checked. Most probably she can't see what she's eating. Also, sense of smell diminishes as we get older.
And Freqflyer, I laugh as I read your post. My dad would save anything (pack rat) and would eat anything also. He had a canned peanut butter GI ration from WW2! That darn depression turned a lot of people into crazies by saving things (used straws, used paper towels, etc.) and eating food that should have been thrown away.
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If someone doesn't smell spoiled food, he/she might not realize it's spoiled unless there's obvious mold or other signs. And if spoilage isn't detectable by taste, it often gets eaten.
Does your mother have a cardiac condition and has she ever taken Amiodarone?
Maybe it's time for someone else to take over the cooking, to "help" Mom?
But assuming that you have been diplomatic and sensitive towards your mother's feelings here, what do you think is going on? Is it a sight issue? Or more of a mental issue, do you think?
And some elders, who were raised during the Great Depression, they want to use everything in the refrigerator or panty even if the expiration date is months ago :(