Well my grandpa had a stroke about 2 or 3 years ago and for a while he wanted to die and he didn't eat nothing because his appetite was not there. So lately he has came around to eating but all he wants is biscuits and gravy. What can I do??
Give him biscuits and gravy. Add a few ounces of chicken to the gravy or make it sausage gravy. Pair it with some sliced strawberries or bananas and sugar.
It isn't unusual for a stroke victim to want to die. Be glad he was able to work himself out of it. Introduce very small portions of different things -- corn, beans, etc -- VERY SMALL PORTIONS. Don't nag. Just throw it away if he doesn't eat it and try something else next time.
Don't worry. Be happy. And if biscuits and gravy is bringing him joy? Let Gramps rock on.
It's very difficult to convince anyone to eat things they don't want. With seniors, I have found it's a lost cause. I would just let him eat what he wants and encourage him to take his meds and get enough sleep. Try to find joy in seeing him happy.
A lot more information is needed here. The advice I would give for a man 90 would be different than for a man 60. If he arteries are clogged would be another thing. I would try to make the biscuits and gravy as healthy as possible, meaning all vegetable oil and no animal grease. The salt worries me, too. The main thing I would be concerned about would be if biscuits and gravy contributed to his stroke to begin with, is it something that would be good to start again? I would try to keep it healthy as possible so he won't have another stroke.
Yes, how old is gramps? My dad at 85 is stuck on Bologna , cheese, and tomato sandwiches, but they have to be just perfect. Drives Mom nuts. If he's not long for this world bring on the biscuits and gravy. If he has a ways to go and needs to healthy, sneak some good food into the mix. Boy, I'm getting hungry thinking about my Grandmas biscuits and gravy............
If you talk to his doctor about this, he will very likely tell you what my then 4 year old grandson's pediatrician told us many years ago. All he wanted was hot dogs, and would cry and refuse to eat anything else. The doctor said give him hot dogs, that he would probably soon tire of them and we definitely didn't want to make it a power struggle.
Now I'm not saying grandpa is like a 4 year old, but I do think he will soon tire of biscuits and gravy and that you should just be glad he's eating something. How did he survive those years that he would eat "nothing"?
I like the suggestions to mix sausage in the gravy if he will eat it that way. See if he'll eat pancakes, you can do a lot with them.
Don't bother. Grampa will probably wean himself off biscuits and gravy before too long. Do you make the biscuits? Adding a little grated cheese would add some protein (and fat and salt). Meat in the gravy sounds good. And many people like eggs with their biscuits and gravy. But, really, this is probably a temporary obsession.
My husband obsessed with Ramen noodles for a while. Those little seasoning packets are very high sodium. He had congestion heart failure. I'd only put in half the seasoning packet. Fortunately he was eating other things as well, or I would have tried adding a little chicken or something. This lasted several weeks and he moved on to other things.
Be glad that Grampa is eating again! If this goes on for more than a few more weeks, I'd discuss it with his doctor.
It isn't unusual for a stroke victim to want to die. Be glad he was able to work himself out of it. Introduce very small portions of different things -- corn, beans, etc -- VERY SMALL PORTIONS. Don't nag. Just throw it away if he doesn't eat it and try something else next time.
Don't worry. Be happy. And if biscuits and gravy is bringing him joy? Let Gramps rock on.
Now I'm not saying grandpa is like a 4 year old, but I do think he will soon tire of biscuits and gravy and that you should just be glad he's eating something. How did he survive those years that he would eat "nothing"?
I like the suggestions to mix sausage in the gravy if he will eat it that way. See if he'll eat pancakes, you can do a lot with them.
My husband obsessed with Ramen noodles for a while. Those little seasoning packets are very high sodium. He had congestion heart failure. I'd only put in half the seasoning packet. Fortunately he was eating other things as well, or I would have tried adding a little chicken or something. This lasted several weeks and he moved on to other things.
Be glad that Grampa is eating again! If this goes on for more than a few more weeks, I'd discuss it with his doctor.