How many days of my Mom not eating before I need someone to step in?

Is she drinking? If she can't manage fluids I would be taking her to the doctor/ER ASAP.

Picasso, do you have a good friends whom they understand about Alz/dementia, ask friend to bring icecream or some light finger food.... Sometimes it's works for outside person.....your mom might start nice to your friend and eat foods together? Did she stop taking her meds also?

Picasso, if your mother has dementia, her ability to tell you accurately why she's not eating is impaired. Please don't make assumptions an out this. Call her doctor and tell her/him how long it's been and let the doctor decide what to do

While food/nutrition is important, hydration is even more important. Have her drink --- water, juice, milk, even milk shakes. There are small probiotic yogurt drinks I used to have my Mom drink. She needed them for the probiotic value but they were small and she could easily finish them. Sometimes we put out a plate of food as if it were someone who is active all day long. The inactive senior looks at it as if it is overwhelming. So try for beverages and small nibbles. Good luck and your Step Dad will be back before you know it!

Picasso, you mentioned more than once that Mom was looking around for food . . . in cabinets and the frig. Can you have various items of ready to eat tings around? For example. A bowl of washed grapes cut into small bunches --- easy to pick one bunch and she may even hope you don't notice. Ditto on sliced oranges or other fruit. (You might count the items and check later to see if any are 'missing'. ) Then you replace them and check again later. She may not want you to see she is actually eating them so she won't eat the whole thing. What does she like? Have that around. Ice pops, ice cream, cheese, crackers, whatever. Keep us posted.

Hey NJ Cinderella I called the neurologist because that is her next appointment and her GP is an idiot. She finally ate, thanks to the suggestion earlier by STP. I was fully prepared to call an ambulance. She wouldn't eat if I asked her, you think she would get in the car to go to a doctor? not on your life. Thanks to this forum and several calls to the alz 800 line she started eating.

Have seen her drink water today. She is doing it because she feels like something in her throat. I want to say yeah its air but I don't.

Oh yeah I did that the first day. I was a chef for many years so I have always paid attention to what people eat and how much so i can have more ready. I put out small bowls of mixed nuts and salty sweet mix fresh blue berries and small grape tomatoes and even popcorn. Who can resist popcorn after they smell it popping. She knew she was hungry but didn't want help and couldn't process in her brain how to get something to eat. She was being rebellious and paying for it in the end. I am just happy she finally ate yesterday and came to me to eat last night.

Check to see if she really has something stuck in her throat. Dementia in the later stages will prevent muscles from working. Get liquids in her, and get her husband back if you can. Just be patient and hopefully when he returns she will eat. Let the doctor know anyway what is happening.

http://www.alzheimers.org.uk/site/scripts/documents_info.php?documentID=149

an interesting article, might help?