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The aging process is nasty in all sorts of ways but meal times can be stressful. First off I would like this to be a positive response only question please - Don't witter on about how bad something is in a care facility that is not the purpose of this question - those how follow me know exactly who I am talking about so no need for me to explain further

The simple answer from my doctor for my 93 year old Mum is that providing there is no reason for not doing so you give them whatever they want. So for example if they are diabetic you can't follow that rule but if there is no reason for not following it our doc says give her whatever she wants. Well we had 2 days of cake and sweets and biscuits then it was scampi and french fries for 4 days, then it was cheese in any which way she asked for it and now we seem to have righted ourselves and are back to eating food again in a normal manner. Who'd of thunk it.

What are your experiences with this taste issue or the I don't want food issue? Does it drive you as nutty as it does me?

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You are much more tolerant than I would be. In my opinion it is just like dealing with picky little kids, you make a nice meal that you all should enjoy and they are expected to eat it! Occasionally my mom will ask for something special and when I fuss around making it she will ask "what am I eating?", so you really can't win.
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I noticed my parents taste buds were starting to fail when there were more sweet items on Mom's grocery list then ever before. Oh my gosh, all the Little Debbies... chocolate chip muffins.... apple or blueberry pies.... yikes, a sale on Tastycakes, so stock up... can after can of whip cream... cartons of fudge whirl ice cream, etc.

Oh well, my parents were in their 90's, no health issues with sugar, so I believe when they reach that age they should eat what they want. If they want Shredded Wheat cereal 3 times a day, so be it :0

One my Mom had to go into long-term-care, the only things she liked was mashed potatoes, and Boost with ice. Fine, just as long as she ate something.
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I've seen the sweetness craving as well, but try to counter it with buying and suggesting accompanying the sweets with something really delicious - a favorite food such as ribs, or good hearty chicken pot pie.

I've also tried to emphasize the danger of too much sugar and lack of good stable foods in maintaining energy levels. It does work sometimes.

A bigger issue I've deal with was chemo induced loss of taste. None of the favorite foods were appealing. We finally found that good quality fruit juices and salty foods were more tempting. It was really hard, though, trying to find a balance between what was appealing and what was healthy. I've read that chemo can have that effect.
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Another thought - our neurologist told us that Amiodarone (heart med for A-fib) can cause loss of the senses of smell and taste. I don't recall how long or the doses at which this occurs, but the loss of taste did start after Amiodarone had been prescribed. Fortunately, the cardiologist changed that to Toprol XL, but I think some of the damage had already been done.
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I give mom whatever she wants when I can. At her age and poor health what difference will it make if she wants ice cream or sweets all day. She wasn't supposed to live this long anyway.
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Mom has been like that for the past 10 years. She's anorexic, hates food, looks at her plate like its about to jump up and bite here. But put candy, cookies, cake or ice cream in front of her and she will eat it. Taste buds deteriorate so some elders get no pleasure out of eating. But the tongue receptors for tasting sweet still are there so that is why they like sweets. At 101, as long as she gets the calories and nutrients it doesn't matter much. She gets supplements in the NH all of which are disgustingly sweet (and I used to bring her ensure and cakes, etc when she was living in AL) Its either that, or she wouldn't eat at all.
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CARDBOARD !!
its cheap and since they dont discriminate either way -- its a good opportunity for you to shave the old grocery bill ..
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Oh Eddie I am so glad its not just me that is driven crazy by this ridiculous behaviour with food. I don't get chance to lob the plate ...Mum will do that if she is in a mood. I just find it distressing to bother to cook something I know she liked yesterday only to hear her say she has never liked it and then throw it on the floor. Oh not deliberately ....never deliberately ....i didn't mean to do it....(only ever said if I explode). Funny how she has never yet 'accidentally' dropped a dessert
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Oh send yes indeed there is Mum used to just slide it off the table if she didn't want food and say it was an accident and she does still revert to that now and again. But if she is really 'on one' she uses it like I used to with a frisbee (do you call it that or a flying disc?) either way it goes a lot further and makes a whole lot more mess. I have found a solution though.....today despite it being the very worst weekend in the history of my very long life (my DIL is leaving my son and taking his only son and my only grandson with her - no warning just bang she's leaving and we don't know where to) I bought a childs plate with a suction bottom that Mum can't lift. Sorry I was soon not going to mention my grandson but I am in so much pain over it .....sorry peeps totally off topic xxxx
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I can throw a frisbee!
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