Any ideas for blended 'real food' drinks that will get her the nutrition she needs?

I doubt that the rash is from the ensure drinks, though she could be allergic to an ingredient. It could be medications or something else. With all of her health issues, it could be most anything. It's not surprising she has no appetite.
You'll probably get more ideas from the community here, but one I'd suggest is vanilla yogurt with fruit, protein powder and a good, liquid multiple vitamin mix. Frozen fruit, like strawberries, carry a punch of flavor and nutrients, so they are good. I'd check with the local hospital's dietary department for ideas that are agreeable with your mom's medications, as some foods aren't compatible with some medications.
Good luck,
Carol

You can puree about anything, thats what I did for mom for many months. Mom really liked fresh fruit pureed with yogurt or cottage cheese. But I had to watch dairy products due to stomach irritation and diarreha. I used to go to McDonalds and get a Hamburger and puree the bun and all. It looked gross but mom loved it. It actually tasted like a burger even though it was liquidified.
I limited Ensure it caused mom some bowel issues. As far as a rash, it could be medication related. Mom developed some rashes from time to time. It seemed to be centered around when she was on antibotics.

When people get older, they taste less and less -- but SWEET is a flavor they can still taste till the end, in most cases. My Dad will drink anything with Chocolate Ovaltine in it: I put in pasteurized eggs, soluble fiber and protein powder and he drinks it like he's 12 and it's the malted shake of his dreams.

Thanks guys, all great ideas and I will be trying all of them over the next couple of days. McDonalds burger blended....lol! :)

if your mom likes tuna, egg, or chicken salad (pureed of course) or mashed potatoes, then you can add the supplement called benecalorie - each container is on 1.5 ounces of a milky liquid and totals 300 calories - my father has one every day. Also - Enlive is a drink (200 calories in a 6 ounce juicebox) - either apple or berry flavored - either drink it orlet it partially freeze to a slushy consistency. Also 1 TBS of olive oil contains 130 calories - easy to add to soups, mashed potatoes, etc.

I would blend drinks that are nutritionally sound and sweet: bananas, blueberries, strawberries, protein powder, egg whites, yogurt. I think cold would taste better than hot or warm. I'm sorry, but the blended McDonald's sounds repulsive--haha Jamie! Also, chicken noodle soup is very healing, nourishing and comforting. Mashed or pureed root vegetables--combos, is also very good. Whatever consistency you need to make it, thin with chicken or vegetable broth. Use Splenda is there is a problem with yeast from sugar. Maybe a juicer would be good, and mix green and fruit juices together for better taste.
I hope Ruth 1957 sees this question, as well as Cricket. Both have nutritional expertise. Blessings to you, KJ.

Thanks ela and christina! Great suggestions! Love it!

Is she asking for food? If she is not hungry, this may be a sign that she is ready to shut down. Has hospice been called? When my mom was declining, I called them and they were able to accept her due to failure to thrive...she has since gained 10 lbs. and is doing better. If you are her health proxy, you will have to make decisions as to how much you will force nutrition upon her etc. No doubt, this is a difficult time for you. My mother eats the following: scrambled eggs with lots of butter. yogurt, mac and cheese, mashed potatoes mixed white with sweet with cream and butter, homemade chicken soup (chicken strained out) with overcooked egg noodles, pasta and ragu with cheese mixed in, mix fruit cups, chocolate, cookies, mini cupcakes, Ensure and Boost (she won't drink water, juice, tea coffee, soda). This sounds like an unhealthy diet but it is one that gave my mom extra weight and keeps her nourished as best as one can expect. She will not eat regular things anymore...no more sandwiches, no more hamburgers, no pork tenderloin, no more chicken breasts, no more bread, no more salads or other veggies - even if cooked soft...she spits them out. It is very frustrating to work through this change of diet. They just don't need so much food anymore and their taste buds are changed. Don't forget that acidopholis (spelling?) comes in pill form and that is good to balance the yeast. Keep us posted and reach out for help...that is a good thing to do! Hugs.

Oh my, sounds like my journey last year! My Moms urine cultures were negative but we treated regardless for a week with amoxicillin. (Bactrim is horrible, dont use it!! night mares and crazies!) We then stay on 1 amoxicillin daily as a preventative, and make sure she has a mini yugurt a day. Also Mom gets 1 teaspoon of miralax daily. (We weaned down from 2 Tablespoons, aweyiyiyi!) As far as foods, from what I learned alz/dem patients lose smell and taste. Moms dr said since she is not diabetic, let her have what she wants. I buy mini frozen waffles, make my own mini pancakes, and add a dab of real syrup on them for breakfast. For lunch she loves sweet and sour chicken (healthy choice meal) and a grilled (in olive oil) corn or blueberry muffin sprinkled with a little sugar once cooked. She also loves butterscotch puddings and dannon childrens mini yogurts with also the mini m&m's or peanut butter m&m's on each bite. Good luck, hope this helps some.

Thanks so much. Very interesting stuff......Mom has also experienced terrible hallucinations and insomnia from Bactrim.....we will never take it again. Our nurse practioner has talked about an on-going low dose antibiotic for the UTI's, but we haven't yet begun this. As far as her appetite goes, it's so inconsistent now. Some days all she will have is ensure/boost and on others she will ask for food and sometimes eat it sometimes not. Pretty much none of her favorites sound good....except Pizza, which we have whenever she wants it now. I will keep trying and I appreicate the ideas you've shared for things that have worked for you. Oh, and we're also using just about a teaspoon and a half of miralax in her juice each morning. She will drink very little other than the juice and the ensure. Even then I have to remind her every 10 to 15 minutes to take a sip or two. Thanks again, every thought shared is very helpful at this point!! Mommag.........glad your Mom is doing better and gaining some weight back. luvmom....sounds like we are on the same miralax and antibiotic plan!! Hugs to you both!

Thanks for the reply, I just thought as I was reading that maybe your Mom's Ensures are filling her up and it makes her less hungry? My Mom has good and bad eating days also and on the good days boy does she eat, her breakfast is so big and long that I get lunch and she eats that too, lol!
My Mom has her teaspoon of miralax in her decaf tea or decaf coffee each morning,she seems to only like warm drinks, oh, and we have to use a tablespoon and a half of thick it now also.Oh one more thing, I give her am/pm pills in prune pudding that I make, keeps her "going" also ! If you want the recipe let me know. Keep us posted...

Ok, so that's so funny too. I give my Mom her pills with 'plumsmart lite' juice. It's lower in sugar than the others, and seems to help to keep her more regular.....along with everything else. I think you're right about the ensures filling her up, and I always offer her 'real food' first, but I don't want to wait too long during the day to get her to eat/drink because then we don't get enough by the end of the day. It's a delicate balancing act to be sure!! I would love the recipe for your prune pudding. Thanks!!

Ok you can wing it the way you want You can add more or use less of everything listed as you want to. Moms doctor told me they use it in the nursing homes and they eat it all up.
This is about how I do it every 2+ weeks...
1 small can of prune juice (5.5 oz) (they come in 6 packs)
1 small container of applesauce (those premade cups)
Bran flakes or Raisin bran (2/3 cup approx)(I fill the applesause cup 1-2 times as a measure)
shakes of sugar (optional)
simmer on stove until all melted together.
(I make this and store in the fridge in a former salsa jar) She loves it, I crush her pills into a shot glass and use about half a shot glass of prune mixture with this am/pm. We went away one long weekend last summer and I forgot it, even thou I was still using the miralax, and she got constipated a little, so it really helps. Hope I explained it well enough to understand.

Awesome, I'm on my way to the store to get the stuff right now. Thanks!!

Wow youre quick, how do you get to go out? lucky! haha let me know how it goes.

Oh, I have a daytime caregiver for Mom when I'm at work, and, she also goes out with me sometimes to the store, etc. I did make up a batch tonight and probably won't give her any until Saturday. (it came out just like you said!!) I'd like to know how she'll react before giving her something new when we have places to go during the week. You are right.....I'm so lucky that Mom can still go out, and, lucky to have a wonderful friend that stays with her during the weekdays. Hugs to you!

I have given my mom that same recipe. Was given to me by a nurse. It really works..be careful and don't give too much at first.....BLOW OUT CITY!

Thanks for the advice. I will be very careful not to give too much. Do you have a recommendation on how much to start with.....a tablespoon maybe?

Maybe 1 Tablespoon is enough. My MOm never blew out on it but I only give 1/4-1/2 of a shot glass with her crushed pills morning and night. I will tell you what does make her blow out , cheerios! I have to mix them with chex mix and trix. The colors on her plate of cereal catch her eye and tastebuds and she starts eating.
Let us know how it goes, or doesnt go, haha

Mom is taking her pills with either ensure and or Plum Smart juice(w/the Miralax) She only takes 1 and a half pills in the morning so no pill time at night. Very lucky she doesn't take alot of meds. :) I'll let you know how we do this weekend with a tablespoon or so!

Oh my Mom cannot swallow pills anymore so we pulverize them in a crusher and add it to her prune pudding. Try 1 T once a day for a few days and see how she is. You probably only need 2-3 T a day anyway. Try the 1/2 shot cup if you have one as a guide for a regular day dose. I know, I till measure what she gets and let you know, lol

Will do! Thanks again for you help with this. It's nice that we all understand how 'big' even the smallest things can be if they work!! Hugs and hearts to you!

I was using Visalus to lose weight and heard an interesting discussion with other Visalus shake drinkers. One of them said that she gave the Visalus shake to her elderly grandmother who had become very emaciated due to loss of apetitie. The shakes taste pretty good, much better than Ensure in my opinion, and are nutritionally dense. You can add things such as fresh fruit, berries, flax seed, etc, to increase the nutrition value even more and change the flavor so it doesn't get boring. If you would like to get a sample,

KJ: I was using Visalus shakes for weight loss and someone told me an interesting thing. The shakes taste good and are packed with nutrition. This person started giving 2 a day to her elderly grandmother, who refused Ensure and was becoming emaciated and dehyrdrated. She said she was surprised that her grandmother liked the shakes and was able to change the flavor simply by adding fresh or frozen fruit, organic chocolate sauce, flaxseed, etc. If you want, I get get a sample pack for you and you can have her try it.

Thanks tammyde. Mom had a dr. appt. last Friday and had gained 5 lbs. I guess that means she's drinking enough ensure. I'm still thinking that she's not getting enough 'regular' food. Is the Visalus a prescription? Also, if it's for 'losing' weight, I would be concerned about what else it has in it that may effect Mom. She's been very sensitive to anything new in her system. I really appeicate the idea though, so let me know. KJ

I am glad you asked this question. I have been battling my Mother to get her to eat for about a month. She has lost around 10-12 pounds in 6 weeks. Staying hydrated is also a problem. I don't know if she is beginning to shut down, if it is an issue of getting older, or psychological (eating seems to be the only thing she has been able tocontrol since the multiple myeloma pain began 10 weeks ago). I was glad to read the suggestions others made. It helps to know I am not the only one working on this problem. My prayers are with all of your caregivers.

We make smoothies like crazy. We discovered how much better organic yogurt tastes (and milk too) so we use them rather than standard commercial brands--well worth the extra money. I freeze fruits in season, on trays overnight, then dump in a ziplock bag. Berries are super easy and I buy in quantity during the summer.When we make fruit smoothies, we add baby spinach or other greens to bump up the nutrition. Add a little almond or vanilla extract for extra flavor. Orange juice w/ yogurt and vanilla tastes like dreamsickle. My mom will eat a jello salad made w/lemon, lime jello, cream cheese and whipped evap can milk, when nothing else appeals to her. We also make sweet potatoes often.

I doubt that the ensure caused her rash, ensure and boost and other supplements that are similiar in nutritional value are often used by hospitals, nursing homes and other healthcare agencies. They have a high nutritional value to them. Some people really do not care for the flavor.

As the person with dementia advances in their disease they will have a decrease in appetite, could be from any number of things including having a difficult swallowing regular foods.

Protein to protect from skin breakdown would be one of the more important nutrients to get into her. You can try ice cream milk shakes, fruit smoothies made with yogurt, oj and frozen fruit is a good nutritious option. Try 3/4 cup frozen fruit, 3/4 vanilla or strawberry yogurt and 1/2cup of orange juice, blend until smooth, add more juice if too thick. If your mom can't drink through a straw, try giving it to her by spoon a little bit at a time. I have heard that people recovering from thrush have a hard time with taste, thick, cold, sweet beverages often help with this.

I am sorry that your mom has been through so much.
Sarahjean,

I have never heard anything negative about Ensure? Can you share what the problem is with it?

My understanding is that Ensure does not have all of the necessary nutrients of a balanced diet. Because it is a dairy based product, it has also added to my Mom's 'constipation' issues. We are trying really hard to find other alternativs, but she really doesn't want anything else. Hard to believe, but it's hard to make some eat when they just don't want to.......it's definitely easier said than done!!