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Middle1 Asked July 5, 2025

My mom has dementia and is in a memory care facility. How do they get her to eat?

My mom has dementia and is living in a Memory Care facility. She is petite and has never been very big, but over the last several months, she seems to have given up on eating. She says, "I eat!", and maybe she believes that, but she doesn't eat enough! She'll take 2-3 bites and say she's full. Or she'll say, "I'll eat later" but never does. She is losing weight and looks very unhealthy now. How do we convince her to keep eating so she can keep her strength up? Has anyone else dealt with this?

swmckeown76 Jul 5, 2025
You could also bring her food that she likes to eat between meals, preferably calorie-dense ones. I used to bring a milkshake or ice cream cone to my late husband every time I visited him. He didn't have diabetes so the additional sugar didn't matter.

funkygrandma59 Jul 5, 2025
Sadly your mom may have forgotten how to feed herself at this point, and may need one of the facility CNA's to help feed her at mealtimes.
I would ask the facility to now have your mom put on the list of those that need help eating and see if that doesn't help.
And of course make sure she has a lot of high calorie Ensure type drinks on hand as well.

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Middle1 Jul 5, 2025
Me, again. I meant to say she IS living in a Memory Care facility. Thanks for any advice!

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