I enjoy cooking and cook quite a bit so that my father has hearty meals to eat. A few weeks ago, I made Spanish Rice with ground beef, Enchilada Pie, Baked Pasta, Baked Chicken, a triple batch of noodles, a double batch of baked beans, and a double batch of scalloped potatoes.
Dad, who has Alzhiemer's, took a dinner plate and helped himself to a piece of chicken, noodles and baked beans. He cleaned his plate. Second go-round: a piece of chicken, Spanish Rice, and potatoes. Third go-round: Spanish Rice and Enchilada Pie. Fourth go-round: baked pasta.
Thirty minutes later, after I put the food in the refrigerator/freezer, he came into the kitchen and said to me, "What is there to eat? I'm starving." I asked him how he could be hungry after his lunch. He said that he was hungry, so he helped himself to more food.
I don't mind, and I am glad that he is still eating, but he is eating so much! I find that often I must go without food because he has eaten so much.
Different activities have been suggested to him, such as volunteering, going the local senior center, etc., but he refuses.to try anything new.
Does anyone else have or has had this problem with an Alzheimer's patient? What did you do? Should I talk to his doctor?
Please help me; I am completely lost.
Get him checked for diabetes, although there can be many causes for polyphagia.
Cook less at a time. Eat some yourself.
I can't buy crackers, chips, snacks.. because they will all be gone very quickly. He can eat nuts by the handful like popcorn. If I buy a bunch of bananas.. he will eat them all in a day, if I buy a bag of oranges...they will also be quickly gone. I have to strategize what I buy when.. otherwise I end up spending a huge amount on groceries.
The only thing that is very safe are veggies and frozen foods... he seems to leave those alone..lol.