She is 95 with dementia. Am I wrong to get angry ? She'll only eat 2 bites of oatmeal and 1/2 banana and only if I add ice cream to an Ensure will she drink that. I cannot communicate verbally with her because her ear drums are covered with wax and can't get in to the ear doctor for another 3 weeks-- her hearing aids don't help. She doesn't respond to written notes, either. I want to keep her healthy but don't know how when she refuses to eat. Should I give in to her and feed her desserts when she won't eat nutritious food?
Both my parents had lived up into their 90's and my Mom's grocery list was filled with all kinds of sweet goodies, it made my teeth hurt just thinking about it... but I figure once they are at that age, let them eat what they want.
My mom gets ice cream 3x a day as staff at memory care either puts her pills in it or gives it to her to distract her mood
She hates water but loves coffee especially with cookies
A lot of folks don't eat at all I've noticed and play with their food
Can you try substituting yogurt instead of ice cream - I think ensure products taste nasty anyway
Or if you have the energy make a homemade shake and add a powder protein
Strawberry yogurt pineapple juice a banana - yum
Does your mom have any difficulty swallowing or acid reflux ?
Also with dementia the sense of smell goes and so sweets are probably just more appealing
Maybe pop a sweet potato in the microwave - plenty of nutrition and might appeal to her sweet tooth
Good or bad - my 93 year old mom loves to eat and when she is not hungry I know something is wrong with her - sometimes a UTI