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Haha BootShopGirl. I smiled reading these responses. I thought I was the only one!!
Let them eat whatever they want. I would hate to be 80 something and someone telling me I could only eat this or that because it was better for me, instead of what I REALLY wanted to eat. Enjoy the time you have left with them, don't overthink things, and let go of the small stuff.
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What is she eating?
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Isn't it wonderful to know we are all not alone? My mom eats healthy choice t.v. dinners and mostly she is "The Lean Cuisine Queen!" Also cheese, crackers and wine. Wait! She may be eating better than me!
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I eat the same Panera salad every day. If I don't, my digestive system doesn't like it. If what she consumes every day has good, clean food with some protein, there is no need to change it. Just make sure that she does consume enough liquids, but not too close to bedtime.
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After my Mom passed away my father ate NOTHING except Hungry Man dinners - for 3 years, even though we had full time Home Health Aides who would have gladly cooked anything he wanted. I always joked with him that all the preservatives were keeping him alive. He loved the process of picking out which one he would have that night and microwaving it.
Let it go. If it was me I would want to eat or drink whatever the heck.
It has been 10 months since he passed and I can assure you it was NOT because of his diet.
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I say let mom eat what makes her happy. THANK GOD she is eating something. something is better than nothing. My mother and dad only ate canned soup for the past two years of me taking care of them. they wouldn't eat anything I made. I use to argue with them but after a while I figured something is better than nothing.
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I wouldn’t be concerned at this time in life. There comes a time when even Diabetics eat what they want to & in most cases manage just fine! People lose control over so many things in life as they age...especially with the longer life spans today...allow her to eat as she chooses. This is actually not uncommon & the elderly survive! My mother ate TV dinners warmed up in the microwave for 17 years & hates the more nutritious foods at her Retirement Res so we have TV dinners in her little freezer! She LIKES them lol! There comes a time when you have to choose your battles...dignity may be more important than realism. At least she is eating 🙂
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Mother eats no breakfast, has a salad at 11 that is mostly lettuce, onion and celery. 1/2 cup of thousand island dressing on top of that and it's really soup.
For dinner, at 4:30, she eats a frozen dinner. No way is she getting "good" nutrition, but she hasn't got the energy to cook from scratch and we worry about her leaving the stove on anyway. Anything hot gets microwaved. She's almost 88 and in ok health. At her stage of life, whatever she wants to eat, she gets. She may go out to lunch once a week, but it's rare these days.

Anything spicy (even too much pepper) and she will get raging heartburn. She has always been a "bland" cook, and nothing has changed in that regard.

I'd leave mom alone if I were you. Maybe try to get her to drink a Boost or Ensure once a day, but those are not very tempting, unless they are ice cold (to me, anyway).

Any change of diet in elderly people can easily cause stomach problems--stick to what you know won't make her sick. It's not worth it!
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Myshell - I learned the hard way - give them what they want or they can quit eating.

There are ways to sneak in supplements into anything if you're concerned about nourishment. But when I tried to increase my DH's food selections, he shut down and wouldn't eat anything. Worst 3 months ever! It was a struggle to get him eating again.

We went through a spaghetti & tv dinner period. Then it was nothing but Fish Sticks. Now it's pretty much Hot Cocoa with ice cream.

Ok, this is what I do - I start his cocoa with ensure plus (strawberry) and add cocoa mix after I have heated the ensure. Topped off with a generous portion of ice cream. I'm calculating it's a minimum of 500 calories per hot cocoa. I also use Barlean's Chocolate Silk Greens in it and it tastes just like chocolate. I even use a small amount of Cacao Tigernut for the prebiotics.

3 of these daily gives him his daily requirements and he's now back on some food; an egg for breakfast and some "chicken-fried-rice" with popcorn shrimp for lunch.

It's all about getting calories in on a daily basis.
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My paternal grandmother ate a cup of dry Lucky Charms for breakfast, lunch and dinner with a scoop of vanilla ice cream afterward for the last three years of her life. All family members tried to interest her in other food options now and then but she’d pleasantly decline and continue to eat her cereal. Digging out and identifying each marshmallow shape thrilled her so much EVERY time she ate, it was truly an enjoyable experience to watch her.
....I still miss her!
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My Mom ate a small pancake for breakfast and dinner for the last 2 years of her life. She would sometimes eat an applesauce for lunch and Three Musketeers for snack until the last year. This wasn’t healthy but it was calories. She was a small woman. Surprisingly, all of her organs were in great shape until she stopped eating. Mom passed from Dementia this past August.
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Yep...after a certain point in life's journey...eat, drink and smoke what you want.
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My mother has been eating Pizza Hut for over 3 months. It has to be Pizza Hut. She won't eat any other pizza. For dessert, she eats anything we buy. Sometimes I have to hide the sweets because she'll eat them all and we won't get to eat any. Doctor said it was alright.
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Myshell, sounds like it is better for Mom to eat what she has always enjoyed. What she has been eating sounds really good :))

The only thing I could think maybe Mom had a major food allergy reaction. Only thing different I could see compared to what Mom has always eaten compared to what the caregiver prepared was maybe the eggs in the mayo or some other spice. My Dad use to get sick from anything that had paprika.

When it comes to food for someone who is older, think of it this way.... if they want ice cream for breakfast, let them have it.... unless there is a restrictive diet.
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Thank you Tothill! :) My mom has a Dan's Cheesburger with a small onion ring and a large chocolate shake. She has been eating that for the 2-1/2 years. I finally broke down and hired a care taker helping her/me. She started last Wednesday, KA cooked her a hamburger patty w/rice and meatloaf and potato salad on Thursday. The reason I asked the question was that my mom was out of sorts on Friday; twitching all over her body especially the right side, problem with balance and a hard time talking. Took her to ER and she spent the night. Lab work, CT Scan and x-rays came back good. She's the picture of health minus the dementia. Also, right before she was taken to hospital she had a explosive bowel movement. I try to tell my friends and family that when she eats the same thing every day there are no issues but if it is foreign food to her we have problems. Doctor and nurses told me I am doing a great job and had no concerns with her eating the same thing every day. I appreciate you taking the time to respond.
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Is what she is eating healthy or balanced? If yes, I would let her eat the same thing. My former husband's granny only ate Campbell's' Cheese soup for the last 15 years of her life. It may not have provided full nutrition, but she was eating and getting some calories.
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