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While in memory care facility?

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Mum lost a shocking amount of weight as well. Turns out her thyroid was terribly out of wack which has a myriad of other affects: mood , skin, loss of appetite, ...
Meds and sneaking calories into meals has helped a lot. (She won't drink Ensure or Boost!) Butter on every sandwich, protein bars made into oatmeal, Pie Lunch Thursdays!
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He needs blood work to rule out issues.
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MJ1929 - I watched the people with dementia in the dining room at mom's nursing home, more than one of them could very well have gone without food if they hadn't been repeatedly brought back to the table and then coached to eat or actually fed once they were there.
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I'm no doctor, but that doesn't seem like Alzheimer's-related. That's something else entirely. Get him seen by a doctor ASAP.
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A 50 lb weight loss in 2 months is HUGE, unless he was super obese in the first place. And even then, it's not normal to lose THAT much weight THAT quickly. If your husband has 'early onset Alzheimer's' like you say, that would certainly be no reason for swallowing problems or anything else Alz related that would lead to such drastic weight loss. Does he have cancer or any other health issue in addition to the Alz that could be causing such a thing? Has he been seen by his doctor while in the MC the past 2 months? Who's monitoring his weight loss and health in general?

My mother lives in Memory Care AL and she's weighed all the time so they can keep track of any fluctuations. She chronically complains about the 'terrible food' yet tips the scales at nearly 200 lbs! What are THEY saying about such a weight loss? What sort of plan does the MC have for him? This whole thing sounds odd to me, to be honest.

I think if it were me, I'd get him to the ER for a full work up and evaluation to see what's going on inside his body to cause such a huge weight loss in such a short amount of time. Unless your DH is way further along with his Alz than you realize, and is suffering from dysphagia, it just doesn't make sense. And if he IS suffering from dysphagia, he's at very high risk for aspiration pneumonia so that diagnosis is super important to be made.

Wishing you the best of luck getting to the bottom of what's really going on with DH.
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Isthisrealyreal Nov 2021
Not early stages, early onset, as in young.
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I am with Willey here. Does he now need someone else to feed him? The facility should be questioning this weight loss. They tracked Moms when she was in an AL.
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In my opinion 50 pounds in 2 months is a huge red flag. Weight was carefully monitored at my mom's nursing homes and anything more than minor fluctuations automatically triggered a care plan meeting and a discussion of strategies to reverse or at least slow the loss.

Is he eating? Does he need assistance or reminders to finish his meals? Could he be having swallowing problems (dysphagia) that should have been evaluated?

He might benefit from supplements like ensure, there are also super high calorie puddings and powders that any reputable facility should know about.
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Weight loss is one of the signs of decline that Hospice looks at for recertification.
There could be any number of reasons for the weight loss.
More controlled diet.
He may not be liking the food served so he is not eating as much. They may not be giving him second helpings if he does like a meal.
If he is a "pacer or walker" he may be just expending more calories.
there are medical reasons why someone will loose weight so make sure everything checks out medically.

In your profile you mention he is at home. Is the placement in a Memory Care facility recent? If so that could also be a reason.
And one other thing....did he need to lose weight to begin with? If he was at a healthy weight previously this might be cause for concern but if he was over weight the weight loss might make it easier in the long run for his health and make it easier for staff later if he requires more help
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