It is common for patients with dementia to lose their appetite especially in the last stages of the disease. They probably don’t have appetite due to lack of exercise, or maybe have forgotten what is like to be hungry. Whatever the case is, you should give them blended food that is easy for them to chew and swallow like mashed potatoes, soup, vegetable creams, juices, among others. Make sure you are giving them multivitamins and most importantly lots of water to keep them hydrated and prevent constipation and dehydration.
When your patient is diagnosed with dementia and you are starting to see weight loss, loss of appetite is something common at the beginning. If the problem persists, the first thing you should do is to contact a nutritionist or dietician. It is really important that you track the calorie, micronutrients, and macronutrients intake of the patient. Make several little meals during the day. Keep your patient active.
A sedentary lifestyle leads to depression, loss of appetite, and disease advancement.
Distraction is one of the reasons why your patient won´t eat. Make sure you set times in the day especially for eating. When you do so give plenty of time for them to eat the food, don’t rush them. Serve warm food instead of hot. When the disease is advanced, remind your patient to pick things up such as forks, spoons, knives and other utensils used when eating. Another technique used by specialists is to highlight the plate, bowl or cup where you put the food in by contrasting them on a placement, an example of this is to put a bright orange placement under a white plate or to use a colorful glass where you put the drinks.
