Need help

MelissaAnnG

My husband has Alzheimer’s, he has stopped eating, I’ve offered every thing still doesn’t want to eat, any suggestions would be greatly appreciated

M1

Welcome to the forum Melissa. Can you provide some more details? What stage is his dementia? This could be anything from a terminal event to an indication that something else is wrong.

ImMaggieMae

Welcome to the forum Melissa. Is he able to swallow or chew food? How long ago did he stop eating? If he is just being picky about food, ice cream is often something that seems to be appetizing. It turned things around for my DH a couple years ago when there was very little that he wanted to eat.

ButterflyWings

Tam-Cummings-LLC-Handouts.pdf

@MelissaAnnG I am sorry you both are going through this. My DH stopped eating in early stages when he first was diagnosed and prescribed Aricept. It shut his appetite down completely. And the same side effect came with Donepezil. These are the most common "dementia drugs" in terms of possibly slowing the progression (but that is not guaranteed). We stopped after he lost about 10 or 15 lbs in 2 weeks and he started eating again, immediately.

He also did not eat much when his asthma flared up due to a bad virus caught from HHAide. He was really sick and couldn't breathe, so eating was extremely tough. Again, he resumed eating after antibiotics nipped the virus in the bud.

Some of our LOs don't eat due to dental problems or pain elsewhere in the mouth that they can't verbalize.

And for others, it is a sign that they are near the end of their journey and the body no longer can process food, so it is natural that they do not want to eat. Force feeding at that point can cause discomfort, choking or aspirating (inhaling food into their lungs causing pneumonia and usually end of life).

This is why our forum mates are asking you what stage he is in, and for a few more details. The packet above has more than you every wanted to know about dementia - the stages, and one of the last pages, the DBAT tool lists things in final stages of life for us all — that are signs we need to try and comfort our LOs while we accept what is happening. We are nearing this point for my DH and it is not going to be easy but it is part of the journey.

Hospice has been on board for over 2 years and is a huge help. It is not a "6-months only left in life" scenario when it comes to dementia. In fact, DH graduated off of hospice after a few months the first time, when he regained his weight and they felt he was stable. You might consider having your LO evaluated for support by a local hospice agency. They are very knowledgeable and helpful, and the nurses doing weekly home visits can help you with all questions as well as strategies to help expand the quality of life for however long.

Walter0617

My DW is late stage and has also stopped eating. The MC staff can get her to eat a few bites sometimes, but she isn't interested in eating and has lost quite a bit of weight. Because of this change she was placed on hospice a few weeks ago. They, too, are trying to get her to eat, but without much success. She can still walk, but it is only a shuffle, and she rarely speaks. I visit her every day and can see the weight loss and decline. She does not seem to be in any discomfort or pain. She just doesn't want to eat. She was early onset Alzheimer's, starting around age 62. She is now 69 and I'm watching her fade away. It is hard.

SDianeL

My DH would say no when I asked him if he was hungry. If I asked him what he wanted to eat he couldn't answer me, even giving him choices. I finally just started preparing it and putting it in front of him and he would eat it. He was unable to name foods. He would look at something and say "what's that?" — So they don't have an appetite and they don't recognize food. Will he drink shakes? Nutritional shakes with ice cream may work. They also lose their ability to use utensils.

mrsabaldwin

In a similar situation with my mom. Earlier this year she started losing her appetite and losing weight. Started nutrition shakes mixed with ice cream and feeding her the foods she absolutely would eat. She had stopped eating some foods that had been her favorites for years. She would also imagine things about her foods and continued to do so up until recently. For example believing lettuce to be pickles or chicken to be tuna or fish. However the past two weeks, it is almost impossible to get her to eat. I try to feed her and she refuses. She does have some periods of agitation and speech but mostly wants to lay over to one side and “rest”. I believe that in April she may have been stage 5. Primary doc would not stage her. He almost seemed surprised at the idea of staging. She was diagnosed with ALZ and VD by neurologist. I am considering asking about hospice care but am not sure. And this is one of the most frustrating parts of all this. I’m not a medical professional. The primary doc recommended aging care and I spoke with them at length. With all of the appointments I had set up etc, they told me I had already set into motion everything that they would do for mom. Finally got her into her hospital bed last night. She kept refusing to do so and then she lost so much mobility that we used a lift and sling to get her into it. She does move around in sometimes but for the most part just lays over to one side. So I ask myself does the moving about in the bed mean she is not progressing or does the laying over to one side so much mean she has progressed? This is why I so frustrated and lost. Any insight anyone has is appreciated!

terei

With what you describe I encourage you to call in hospice now. They will decide whether she is a candidate, you do not have to determine this. If she is refusing to eat, I would do what I could to make her comfortable. You could offer her food, but I would not push it.

I also suggest reading Being Mortal if you have not

terei

Sorry, I meant to say ‘he’

fmb

@mrsabaldwin Do contact hospice now. Based on how you described her, she will undoubtedly qualify. I have found hospice care to be very helpful and valuable in caring for my DH and supporting me as a caregiver.

It does not surprise me that her PCP would not estimate what stage she is in. Many doctors are not aware of all of the symptoms and nuances of ALZ and other dementias. My DH's PCP attributed his memory, executive function and walking problems to simply old age (91) when he was far into Stage 6.

howhale

Finding foods my wife would eat has been a constant challenge. Most of the things she loved before are no longer accepted. She can eat, chew, swallow, etc. without issue, she just does not like the foods any longer. Sweet is the one taste sense that she retains so I get creative in trying to introduce some sweetness in anything i offer her. One example is a grilled cheese sandwich which was a favorite. She began to reject it. So now we make a grilled cheese sandwich with two slices of bread, mayo on the outside instead of margarine, two slices of real cheddar cheese, mayo on the inside of one slice of bread and fig preserves on the other slice of bread, dill pickles and a small slice of turkey or ham. Managing the time of preparation to when she is asking for something was a learning, instead of preparing it at the normal meal times (why would I expect meals times to be normal in this disease when absolutely nothing else is?). Have used this same sweet trick on other foods with some success. Her intake is slowing now so not sure how long this idea will work but it helped.