Urgent Advice required please.

[SofianeB]

We need to get my 89 year old godmother eating again. She's in hospital following a severe infection in the bone around her prosthetic knee. She's beginning to overcome the infection but doesn't want to eat and is nutritionally behind. . She is slightly confused, but less than she was. Any ideas? Seems psychological. Thank you

[Cooper27 Administrator]

My aunt went through a spell like this at one point, but really you just need to wait until she's ready.

Now isn't a time to stress about getting nutrient dense food down, it's about getting her to start eating anything at all, knowing that once her appetite is back, she'll be tempted by the nutrient dense things again too. Buy her favourite biscuits, start from there

[Honibea]

Try small starchy items several times a day, there is also a product called ensure plus which has a high calorie content for a small amount. If she drinks try bumping up calories that way (coffee or chocolate with all whole milk) etc.

[vonniesims in reply to Honibea]

You should be able to get food supplement drinks on prescription.

Little and often. Add cream to soup, custard etc to boost calories.

It's worrying, and it takes time. Good luck

[Penel]

If she is still in hospital your options are somewhat limited. If you are able to be there at meal times she might respond to physical help and encouragement with eating her food, nurses don’t usually have time to do this.

Bringing her some treats, as Cooper27 has suggested, could be a helpful.

[MrRigatoni]

Hello pleased to meet you..

Please may I suggest if you live UK...

Contact community wellbeing service offer help here.

Offer service local support UK .

AGE UK

ageuk.org.uk

Look website local branch good to use..

There are also some food ideas for you..

Fresh vegetables make soups , buy in supermarkets prepared fresh soup bags..

Add stocks herbs.

Cheap soup ideas

Vegetable broth .

Need roots any buy prediced cut prepared .

Carrots, Swede, Sweet Potatoes, Butternut Squash.

Onions

Stock cube

Tin Lentils drained

Herbs Parsley

Slow cooker add everything till cooked last minutes tin lentils..

Serve or blitz up cooled down choice serve it bowls ..

Use fruit Apples Pears sliced yoghurt to add...Plus seeds get mixed bags..

Add nuts use Peanut butter sandwiches.. Milk Apple..

Avoid

Bran, Alcohol, Smoking, Caffeine tea coffee do not use these all surpress appetite..

Note use things like Bananas Potatoes a lot of eldery people have lack of potassium.

Which destroys appetite desire..

As we do get older appetites can be reduced on the wane..

Please if you have any questions please ask me happy to help..

Please take care

[AnnieW55]

You could always try Complan, along with whatever she fancies (my Grans favourite was always ice cream) to get her eating again. I believe Complan is nutritionally balanced, may be wrong, and can be had warm or cold. It was given to me during a hospital stay, after a bone operation.

[BJ2020]

Repeatly tell her that if she doesn't eat she'll be back in the hospital or worst still 6ft under, say is that what you want. Went through a similar thing with my mother and I didn't give 2 hoots in telling her to buckle up and start eating or else that's what'll happen nor did the rest if my brothers and sister.

Might sound a bit harsh but they need telling and the truth is better than trying to be all nicey nice. Good luck.

[GoogleMe in reply to BJ2020]

So long as you are prepared to hear that death *is* what they want. Because for some frail people this age that is what they want (The worry of course is when that's a decision affected by clinical depression, cognitive deficits which mean information about likely recovery and level of function in time isn't understood or recalled, or there are worries about being a burden, practically or financially - and verbal aggression, however well intended may be interpreted as being a burden)

[BJ2020 in reply to GoogleMe]

Then you tell them that's not the right answer

[GoogleMe]

Talk to the nurses, see if a referral has been made to the dietician and a review of all her medications. Some antibiotics mess with the gastro intestinal tract.

It's extra complicated at the moment but remember that eating is a social activity and she may be more inclined to eat if others are doing so as a social occasion. As others have suggested, time spent with her at mealtimes may help a lot. Also remember that at 89 and if she is mostly immobile, she will quite possibly only have a very small appetite. What does she like best? Delicately probe a little deeper - sometimes people restrict their intake not because of lack of appetite but because they are trying to avoid excretory problems... sometimes associated with lack of confidence in timely assistance.

If she has explicit goals eg wanting to be in her own home again, then it is appropriate to remind her that not eating will not further that goal... which is different from trying to guilt trip her into eating.

Fresh air and a change of scenery might help too (again, extra difficult to achieve at the moment)

[Midori]

Confusion may be the result of the infection in the knee, or it could be dementia. Difficult to tell.

Is she on a drip? if so, she will be getting the necessary fluids.

Right now, it doesn't matter what she eats, as long as she eats. Try some of her favourite foods, but not huge platefuls, just very little amounts. If you have little or no appetite, being faced with a large portion will make you feel sick. It doesn't matter if she'll only eat sugary things right now, nutrition can wait till you have got her eating again. As she begins to take an interest in food again, that is the time to ask what she fancies.

In some ways its a bit like weaning an infant.

Good luck,

Cheers, Midori

[mhawk]

Okay...Hold on tight...gotta keep the routine so that she is being offered something like a drink supplement ( Ensure or equivalent)...Fight the dry mouth and get her to use something to bring moisture to those buds..Have you consulted the nutritionist for recommendations?

Find something she like (fingerfood that is seasoned Peanut Butter, eggs, ice cream and Popsicle)....Find out why loss of appetite...If all else fails ask for some Megace small dosage