Has anyone noticed anything unusual about their appetite.

Right before I brought Mom to live with me, I noticed that she never needed many groceries besides a refill of her cookie jar. Then, when she moved in with me, I could understand why. She remembered almost nothing about recipes (I had gotten from her), cooking, baking, etc. When I make a pot of pinto beans, she scolds me all day for adding too much water to the pot and cooking for too long. She doesn't remember that it takes awhile for pinto beans to get done.

If I didn't serve a plate at mealtime, she would sit all day and never ask, or help herself to food. I thought, perhaps they no longer have an apetite.

This past week, it has changed in the other direction. Since my hubby is a Texas boy and Mom an Okie, I try to make a big country dinner once a week with all their favorites; cornbread, beans, turnip greens, etc.

The other night, Mom heaped a plate full, ate it all and sat her plate in the sink afterwards. She turned to speak to me, then walked by the stove and exclaimed! "I didn't see all this, I think I'll eat now." She piled a second plate as high as the first and ate again. I didn't have the heart to tell her that she'd already eaten. I just thought it was "country food," and she couldn't resist.

In the mornings, I do my shipping and set out her breakfast. She eats and watches TV while I start my "work day." Sometimes she likes a Honey Bun with her cereal or whatever she has for breakfast. I set out the box of honey buns and cereal and fruit and let her have her choice. She enjoys this little ritual.

When I stepped back in after an hour or so, she had eaten 4 Honey Buns! and was on her second bowl of cereal, yet she had no memory of having eaten all that.

Now, I'm wondering if they have no sense of being "full" after eating? I don't have a problem with changing my routine, I'll only set out 1 Honey Bun and appropriate portions of anything else. I'm just wondering if anyone else has had to do this.

Do they NOT know when they're hungry or full? Do you have to serve appropriate portions and no more?

I just thought geez! Something else for me to feel guilty about. Once the meal is over, I can't leave it on the stove till clean up. I have to put it away right away!

Anyone else had a problem with appetite and diet?
I guess I'm just hoping I'm not alone with this one!

You are not alone. Both of the AD people in my extended family (my Mom and my SIL's Mom) ate uncontrollably if food was within reach or sight, but forgot to eat at all if there was no food within their visual field.

Candy? A box of chocolates (ex, a Valentine's heart) would be in a corner of the refrigerator and unnoticed for 3 months - then, if I put it on the table, all eaten up in one day.

Bill's MIL forgot she had eaten. Once in awhile they took her out to eat and she ate half of her food and then said I'm full. Then one of them walked with her around the block and went back into the same restaurant where the other one was still sitting. She would sit down and say "Im starved, I haven't eaten all day" and enjoy the second half of her plate.

Memory is gone, feelings of full or empty are gone, reasoning powers are gone, - once Mom took 3 DAYS worth of meds I had lined up in a little box with 7 marked days. She took Monday's, later took Tuesday's, then took Wednesday's - when I got home from work I was appalled that 3 days were gone at once. Mom said she didn't remember taking any meds, and she most certainly did not take them, in fact she felt great - so how could she have overdosed? (There is still a possibility that she actually threw them out!) Her doctor said give her a lot of water to drink and don't worry about it. Apparently 3x the dose of heart pills, BP pills, diuretics, stomach acid reducers, aspirin etc does not have any ill effect. After that I only put that day's dosage on a little saucer near her breakfast plate and put the rest high up on a shelf she could not reach.

So don't be unduly alarmed at this development, it is normal for AD.

Love,

Martha

This has happened with my dad too. If food is not on the table or stove, it is forgotten. But if it's there, he eats and eats. And then comes back for more saying that he's hungry.

Dad's always been particularly fond of sweet things. But since the AD, if given a choice between a balanced meal and a box of Twinkies, the Twinkies win hands down. And he will eat an entire box in one sitting!

Love, Barb

My FIL was the same. He would eat cookies and sweets but not much else. We arranged for Meals on Wheels, but we would often find the container basically untouched (and unrefrigerated) when we visited after work. He would eat ok when we went to a restaurant or had him to our house - and he did fine once he moved to assisted living where it was prepared and set before him.

Hi Sandy,

My mother did the same thing, both with food and with her Glaucoma eye drops right before I moved her into the assisted living facility (where I arranged that the nurse would do the eye drops). In this same 1 month time period, Mom suddenly didn't know night from day, the time on the clock meant nothing, and she forgot the different uses of the pronoun "you". I'd ask "Are you hungry?" and Mom would look so confused, point to me, and say, "You???"

I'm not saying that your MIL will do the same, but be on the lookout for other indications of memory holes. I removed all house keys and car keys from sight after Mom tried to leave the house at 11pm (shower cap and cold cream in hand along with her coat and purse! :eek: ). The next day I installed keyed deadbolts and hid those keys so Mom couldn't get out of the house at night since the clock and black night sky were no longer meaningful clues to her. I also locked the basement door so she couldn't go there without my knowledge because I was concerned that she'd fall down the steps. You may have to install child-resistant cabinet door locks in your kitchen and lock up food and medicines, too.

It's scary to try to anticipate what you need to keep them safe, but watch your MIL's behavior for what to do next, then head her off at the pass!

If your MIL's name isn't on the list at an assisted living facility yet, it's time to do that much. When she cannot be left for a minute or leave you alone for a minute and you cannot sleep because she's up all night, you may need that option.

((((hugs)))). I know what a heartbreak this is. Don't wear yourself to a frazzle until you get an ulcer, heart palpatations, sky-high blood pressure or something like that before you realize, as many here have, that you cannot do it all, no matter how great your love or how big your heart. No guilt! You're important, too.

More (((((((((hugs)))))))))), Barbara :wave:

What a relief! Just to know that others have noticed the same thing.

You are so right, Barb, it is scarey to worry about the things you haven't even thought of yet. It never entered my mind to be protective with food.

My biggest problem with Mom had always been her Not Eating. Now, I have to re-think that huge can of mixed nuts that disappeared in 2 days. I was blaming hubby.......

I know I can't leave her at home alone. But, so far, I had been able to work in my "Ebay Room" which is just a doorway away. Guess I'll be leaving that door open now, even when working.

We do have deadbolts that she hasn't been able to figure out and bars on the windows and doors, so she couldn't get out of them. She tries to go out occasionally, and has never been able to without asking me. We have a pool, and grandchildren, so we've always made the house pretty difficult to exit even though the pool is behind a locked gate as well.

I have noticed her being up more at night. A couple times I've woke up at 2am or 3am and her door is open, so I know she's up. I'm gonna have to check the eating then, too, I think.

I've also noticed in the last week that she sits in her favorite chair and dozes off and on all day. She hadn't done that before. I had wondered if it was because she had been up so much at night. She has always been an "early to bed and late sleeper," at least since she's been here.

She'll go to bed at 8pm and sleep till 11:00 the next morning. It seemed like a lot. Now.......I'm wondering if she's up more than I know. I'll check on that now that I'm more aware.

All these stories mirror mine and my ex-charge.

She would eat like a sparrow if she was in charge of the 'proper' food, but eat chocolate biscuits like they were going out of style. Yet, when I took over the main evening meal, I would pile her plate and she would eat the lot.

When we started leaving her alone but sending down her food, she would throw most of it out and eat like a sparrow again. I think watching people eat helped her eat more. Of course, after she had thrown out the food, she would get into the wine and chocolate biscuits! LOL she seemed to prefer to constantly snack by that stage, but we definately did go through the eating loads stage ....... she even put on weight!!!

She would also doze on and off all day, because she was roaming around at night. The anti-depressant helped for a little while, but didn't last once her body got used to it. You may need to give her a small sleeping pill at night, just to keep her to a routine.

You can get a 'fridge lock' that is designed to keep little ones out of the fridge. You may have to do that for her, especially at night.

And of course, it goes without saying, don't leave any spoilt food anywhere, because they seem to lose their sense of smell too.

One of the geriatricians we saw mentioned that they lose memory of smell, taste and textures, so that also goes with hotplates. My ex-charge went to put her hand on a raging red hotplate ... talk about instant action on my half ....... and she was so ANGRY with me for pulling her hand away .. she didn't feel the heat radiating .. she wanted to see why it was a different colour!

You have to be on your toes, 24/7 with this job ........ so be careful of burnout, and make sure you make time for YOU .. your ebay room sounds lovely, but your still going to have 1/2 and eye and 1 ear looking and listening out for 'wrong' sounds (or no sounds, that's more of a worry sometimes!) so your going to be stretched a bit.

Cheers & Goodluck
Sally