My dad has dementia and we have been battling him not eating for months. After being in the hospital, the doctors did all the usual tests to make sure there were no physical reasons he wasn't eating. After being cleared of those tests, we established it was his dementia. They sent him home with some added prescriptions to help with his eating and depression. One prescription is medical marijuana which has been working better with his eating but the cost is super expensive. Medicare does not pay for it and it costs us nearly $500 dollars a month for it. Plus he seems to have weird hallucinations with it. I would just like to know if there is another alternative that is not so damn expensive and without the side affects.
It's a difficult situation when elders slow down and diminish their food consumption. Since they're not as active, they're not as hungry.
I'm wondering also if he's depressed - that could affect his appetite if he's lost interest in life.
If she reaches a point where she won't open her mouth or says she really doesn't want to eat I won't force her. As the body slows the need for food decreases, if they are not begging to be fed or crying out with hunger it is not cruel to let them stop eating and fade away, in act I think forcing them to linger on is more cruel.
As for medications, my mom is on mirtazapine, it has a bonus effect of increasing appetite in some people.
Supplemental feeding by IV. or tube is rarely a good idea and often makes the patient just feel sick and overloads the body's systems.
Hallucinations are very common in the very sick, those close to death or could be caused by certain drugs.
The use of pureed food or supplemental protein drinks are all helpful if tolerated. Their is also protein powder that can be mixed into any food and hopefully not detected.
Taste and smells are also very important things to bear in mind. Try not to fill the house with cooking smells however delicious the cook finds them because your old dementia or not patient will not want to eat any of if.
Marinol has similar side effects to marijauna; some people are trying hemp oil which has no THC supposeduly and may be legal, for seziures, etc. but I'm not sure what it would do for appetite.
I have heard or using sweet pickles and candied ginger to try to perk up the appetite too, but YMMV. You can try homemade milkshakes with high calories, or use high-calorie formulas with 1-2 calories per cc, and maybe additives like Scandical and Polycose, or even Nestle Microlipid. (Just don't inhale the fumes from that stuff if you are trying to LOSE weight, like me :-)