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Sylvera Asked June 2014

Great-grandmother is constantly snacking with crazy sugar amounts. She refuses to stop. What should I do?

Ninny (93 with vascular dementia) has very bad diabetes that we are struggling to control. We changed her medicine a bit a couple days ago but are having trouble figuring out if there has been any positive change because she simply will not stop eating. I know I am supposed to test 2 hours after eating (or, if longer has passed than that, right before she eats), but I can't get a gap like that except first thing in the morning because she never seems to stop eating, so the readings are almost certainly skewed.

I have tried to take her snacks away but this simply agitates her. I have also tried feeding her large meals to keep her from snacking, but she still has her hand in a chip bag or a sleeve of crackers or a bag of bonbons within the hour, even if I 'stuff' her. She never seems to stop being hungry. How the heck can I get accurate readings when she won't stop eating?

Sherridene Jun 2014
You may have to put locks on every pantry cabinet and the refrigerator door. I have read that parents of children with Pradder Willie syndrome sometimes have to resort to this to protect their kids from over eating. Keep her on a strict eating schedule (including snacks). Consult with a nutritionist about healthy snacks you could let her eat that wont contribute to fluctuating blood sugars.

kazzaa Jun 2014
I am on a diet and am taking chromium its great for reducing sugar cravings but you may check with her doc first?

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GardenArtist Jun 2014
Could you buy desserts that are more healthful but still have sugar? I'm not diabetic so I'm not sure about the equivalency issues, but fruit pies come to mind. At least she'd be getting some healthy fruit with her sugar.

Good luck; this sounds like a hard situation to change.

On a related subject, make sure she gets her teeth checked regularly; all that sugar can increase her risk for tooth decay.

CentralMassach1 Jun 2014
Maybe you could try buying the smaller portions of things like chips, etc. and have them on hand for her to have. It costs a little more, but they are smaller and maybe it would make her feel like she's able to eat the "whole bag"! It would probably help you too because you wouldn't be so worried because it's smaller. Also, I found when my mom had dementia if I told her not to do something, she would do it anyway, or do it more. Sort of like caring for a little kid. I tried to say less, and do more things without her noticing so it was a lot easier on both of us. It is very hard to do though because you want what's best for them, but sometimes it is just easier to give in more and fuss less. I found that when I did this, the time spent with mom was more enjoyable. I was glad I did because when she passed, I looked back and was thankful that at least some of the time was spent with her being happier. Good luck, hope this helps somewhat.

JessieBelle Jun 2014
Something important for me -- I've learned not to worry about my mother's glucose if it stays between 100-250. I worry more about getting lower than 100 because she is prone to hypoglycemia.

kazzaa Jun 2014
This is a tough one ive tried everything! I td hrew out everything flour included but then she started to throw tantrums in shops and chuck whatever she wanted into the basket. When i removed all sweet stuff she would start to bake things when i was out? I think at 93 let her be its the only comfort they have but my mum is only 77 and she is progressing fast because she just dosnt care anymore. I have given up with her diet but she does eat at least one balanced meal a day what do you do apart from lock her in her room and feed her through the "keyhole".

JessieBelle Jun 2014
And I've learned to put out no sugar free candy. She will eat it all so fast, then say that there was only 2 or 4 pieces -- like I don't know better.

JessieBelle Jun 2014
My mother is much the same. She had an eating disorder when she was a young woman and ate her way into morbid obesity. She developed Type II diabetes before she lost weight. Now with her dementia she will eat absent mindedly. It is like she returned to her old eating habits. She eats sugar free cookies, but they still have starch and are very fattening. She would sit down with a bag of chips or can of nuts and eat almost all in no time. So I had to take most things away from her. The problem there is when I take away the chips and nuts, she eats the crackers. If I take away everything, all h*ll breaks loose.

I settled on a compromise for me. I took away the things she tends to binge on and left the things that didn't cause her to binge. So chips and nuts are out. Crackers and sugar free cookies remain.

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