My mother hoards food and overeats until it makes her ill. Why would she want to do throw up?

She probably doesn't want to throw up. People with dementia very often lose the connection between cause and effect. She overeats, she doesn't even remember that she's eaten, and then she throws up. How is she supposed to associate the vomiting with the eating? She doesn't even remember eating! And even if she did make the connection this time, she wouldn't remember it when the next opportunity to overeat arises.

The solution is to remove the opportunity. Maybe change the shopping trips to the dollar store instead of the food store (picking one with little or no food). Or leave all food in the kitchen and select only a reasonable day's worth to take to her room. Tomorrow she can pick three more things (with your supervision). Stretch it out so she has fun picking things out all week but never has enough to make her sick.

She no longer can make good judgments based on cause-and-effect. You need to do that for her.

I did leave all the food in the kitchen...she came out and stole it all back,lol.She was brought up in a poor home I think that may be where the hoarding comes from.She also has pernicious anemia which is untreated and is a stomach bother.I have managed to get her to the dr once in 2 months for her shot for it.I feel so bad for her,but she always has been stubborn,now she is and worse than ever.

I think you need to protect her from herself, just as you would protect a toddler. If a child was sneaking into the kitchen and binging on food that made her sick, what would you do? I know that it can be harder with an adult -- they can reach high places and figure out child-safety locks, etc. But the principle is the same. Protect this vulnerable adult from her own actions.

Anybody who said this would be easy was lying, weren't they!