Poor appetite.

If you are worried that he is not eating 'enough' I can attest to the fact that the human body, as it ages, requires a surprisingly small amount of calories to keep going.

My MIL has not eaten more than 500 calories a day, usually only >300 for the last 8 MONTHS and she's still alive.

Any time anyone (mostly SIL) pushed her to eat more, she will do it, then she vomits. She just does not need the fuel anymore.

A 10 lb weight loss over a year is very slow. Even my MIL, to my best knowledge, has stopped losing weight and has stabilized on what's basically a starvation diet.

There are Meds to help stimulate appetite. I don't feel that this is him coming to the end of his life. I think its the brain not being able to tell the stomach its hungry. He is no longer getting the signals. Talk to his doctor about this.

I drank Boost when I was having intestinal problems. I put it in the freezer for about an hour till it thickened up. It gets like a milkshake. The colder this stuff is, the better tasting.

At least he's eating something right? It's better than nothing as that will eventually mean his life is coming to an end.
A woman in my caregivers support groups mom who lived to be 103 and had dementia, said that her mom lived on chocolate, cashews and ice-cream for the last 5 years of her life.
If I live to be that old, I wouldn't mind that diet myself.

I know that there are medications that can be given to stimulate his appetite, but in all honesty why would you want to do that? Let him just eat and enjoy whatever he wants to in this final journey of his life.

There are various kinds of "smoothie" type drinks on the market you can purchase, some of them in grocery stores. One brand is "Ensure Plus" labeled as "therapeutic nutrition." An 8 oz bottle has 13 g protein, 350 calories, They come in flavors like Vanilla, Chocolate, etc. Good luck.

I think the best you can do is to provide lots of higher calorie options for the times he does eat - slather those english muffins with lots of butter for example, put a dollop of cream in his coffee. Think smaller portions more often - set out snacks between meals, if you place them within easy reach he might be more apt to eat them. Don't worry too much about a healthy diet, things like chips and cookies or candy bars may be appealing. And supplements like boost or ensure were made for this.

Kathleen, you probably know that stopping eating is eventually an end-of-life indication. As Bill is only 78, that’s a difficult thing to confront. But as your profile says that he is “living at home with Alzheimers and hearing loss”, a quick decline while he is still able to be at home, could be a blessing in disguise for both of you.

Just do what you can, and don’t worry.

No, I don't know how to stimulate the appetite, only to make things easier to swallow and digest. I hope that other posters can answer your actual question. But please remember my comments.

My mother barely ate too. I made smoothies to get some nutrients in her. I’m not sure what you could do. Others will chime in with suggestions.

Wishing you all the best.