My wife is extremely weak and eats almost nothing. What can I do to encourage her to eat?
She was diagnosed with dementia late 2019, is in bed most of the time, and I am extremely worried. Our financial situation is poor, only on Social Security, though getting a little help from a hospice company.
You may try giving her food with a strong taste. When my mom did this I gave her lemon cake, lemon meringue pie, chocolate cake, chocolate ensure that was really cold, etc. Now its about calories.
I would definitely call and speak to the hospice nurse about this. She needs to be evaluated as There may be other underlying conditions going on. Maybe her mouth hurts, maybe her stomach hurts, it may be progression of the dementia and she doesn’t realize the importance of nutrition any longer, etc. In the meantime, I would encourage her with the nutritional drinks like Ensure and /or nutritional bars. Anything that you can get her to take in even if only a bite or two multiple times a day would be beneficial. Think protein like peanut butter or fruits or yogurt—-try different flavors and consistency/texture until you find something she likes. If money is an issue mention this to the hospice worker. They should have a social worker who can help connect you to a church or food pantry that can assist you. Good luck!
I wanted to add that the hospice people may be able to set up a swallow test with a speech therapist. It does not have to be extravagant and can be done in home. Basically they try different foods to see how they are tolerated by chewing and swallowing and then make recommendations. Chewing meat for example takes a lot of energy and may not be enjoyable any longer. They can suggest alternatives or even show you how to purée or soften foods so they are more easily chewed and/or swallowed. Grits, oatmeal, scrambled eggs, mashed potatoes, and pudding are sometimes better handled than bread and meat. Also, Carnation instant milk was recommended for my mom. Again, small bites throughout the day rather than 2 or 3 meals may be tolerated better.
There are high calorie supplement drinks, like Ensure Plus. If she won't eat much, maybe you can give her one of those daily to make up the difference. They aren't cheap but not terribly expensive, either. I think I recall that my dad's doctor prescribed them for him at one time, so maybe his insurance (Medicare and Medicaid) covered them at one time.
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