The way the US deals with the elderly, and does healthcare in general, is an embarrassment. Many much poorer countries are far ahead of the US in this regard. All other developed countries are far ahead. We are the worst of the bunch.
You are so right. Last September after hurricane Irma, it wasn't defective a/c units. It was the lack of a working generator. Unfortunately this occurred at a nursing home, directly across the street from a large hospital with generators. By the time the nurses in the hospital realized what was occurring across the street, patients were already dead in bed and in the end, a total of 12 patients died secondary to the prolonged heat exposure. The sad part is I just saw on the news that they were trying to get their license back. I haven't heard the result of this. It's things like this that keep me going when my mother becomes a problem. I remember what the alternative is. Pretty bad for the richest country in the world, to treat the elderly this way.
The last few years of Mom's life, although she had access to good meals and I bought regular food - mostly she ate sweets - coffee cake, yogurt, ice cream, cookies, juice, etc. I've heard the very aged lose their sense of smell and taste, but the tongue maintains its ability to detect sweet. At the NH, they gave her regular meals which she picked at, but she drank some of the sweetened high calorie drinks and puddings. In the end, the last week she stopped eating and drinking altogether. She did not seem to suffer and I hear this is the body's way of painlessly shutting down.
My Mom loved ice cream, popsicles, French fries. But most of the time as others have said, nothing really appealed to her. Unfortunately that is the sad reality of the winding down process.
My Mom didn't want to eat and she was diabetic. She did like smoothies because they were easy to drink and she had a hard time swallowing. I used to make them by hand in the blender by using 3 - 4 oz. of heavy liquid whipping cream, 3 - 4 oz of water or ice, or both, a packet of equal, peanut butter, or chocolate syrup, or a banana, or a handful of frozen fruit. We even added a tablespoon of the International Coffee's in the small tin container a time or two. She loved these in the morning, and then as a snack. With the whip cream it was about 500 - 600+ calories, and mixed with the water and/or ice it made it the consistency of frozen yogurt. Because they were so calorie laden I didn't have to worry if she ate anything else for that meal.
For an easy and quick fix of nutrition, you can use Glucerna shakes (can be purchased at a local pharmacy, like CVS or Walgreens) but you should first check with the patient's healthcare provider for dietary restrictions. Eons ago when I was caring for my father, Glucerna was covered by insurance but I don't know now and this is why is it's best to check with the provider. Glucerna shakes have the optimal ratio of nutrients but it's not a substitute for real food. It's just basically sugar water to keep the body alive. My mother is bedridden, has no teeth due to periodontal disease and refuses to wear dentures, is on a very, very restricted diet due to food allergies and intolerance to certain food groups. Everything has to be pureed. There are days that she won't eat. I don't force her. There's only so much one can do and, frankly, at this point my mother is just existing in a body with no quality of life. I give her applesauce, fresh fruit pureed with juice, yogurt, pureed beef stew (absolutely looks gross, by the way). I've even pureed a whole pizza - which also looks gross...kind of like upscale wet cat food. Smoothies is a given. My poor blender is abused everyday. :-)
Made a beautiful dinner tonight & mom barely ate 2 bites. Can be frustrating. She did eat a yogurt instead. I have to remember to not let it get to me. It is just the 2 of us 24/7 so sometimes it is not easy! Glad to be ready these comments tonight. Helps a lot.
My dad also eat very little now, but loves a strawberry milkshake. So we buy the bottled one and enough for him to have more when we're not there. He enjoys a muffin or milk tart. Anything soft is acceptable to him.
my wonderful mother is now bedridden and has lost her ability to chew most food. i pureed everything ...whatever she was having for lunch i would puree with almond milk...and it was like having creamed soup! now she loves and really only wants to eat is fruit shakes... i ususally use several different types of fruit, peanutbutter & protein power with almond milk...blend...and it's delicious...she pretty much lives on that now!! good luck!!
Ice cream Popsicles Subs and sandwiches Other cold cuts such as fresh fruits and veggies with dip
Keeping cold refrigerated drinks on hand is also a good idea. If you have a drink thermos such as one of those 5 gallon drink dispensers, you can put a bag or two of ice in there with water. You can glass or two handy by the cooler, or you can even have a thermal water bottle the patient can fill. Other drinks you can also keep in the drink cooler is iced tea, Kool-Aid, or even Gatorade. You can also get those personal drink coolers that are about a half gallon or close to a gallon. You can put ice water for any of the other cold drinks in the personal cooler. You can take a piece of hose for some models and turn it into a remote straw so the person doesn't have to lift the heavy cooler or risk spilling anything, because all they have to lift is the remote straw. If you choose to use the remote straw with the personal drink cooler idea, just be careful not to let it siphon when you put the straw down. The best way to prevent siphoning when you're done with the remote Strahl coming from the personal drink cooler is to lift up the part you were using so the drink still stuck in the remote straw can return from the remote straw back to the cooler. Surprisingly, remote straws are very easily made from aquarium hose, aquarium hose is found where aquarium supplies are sold. You can customize a remote straw to any length you need, and they are very easily cleaned by soaking in hot soapy water and rinsing thoroughly when clean. Having a big thermos full of some kind of nice cold drink is a favorite go to for many people on hot summer days. You can even take the portable cooler with you wherever you go.
* I must forewarn that if it's pretty hot where you are, you may want to stay in during the day either go out in the early morning or the evening. You don't want to be stuck without AC if it gets in the hundreds, people have died from the high heat. If you do your research on this topic, you'll find that so many people die each year from heat stroke alone, children and elderly are among them. Even healthy people who are otherwise healthy can also be affected by dangerous summer heat, so be careful. If you have a window AC, have a back up unit handy in case your current one suddenly fails, you'll definitely need it. If you have central air, wouldn't be a bad idea to have a back up unit that can be simply installed should it be needed. If you keep back up machinery like this, keep it in a moisture free temp controlled environment. Always having backup units of things you absolutely need is a very smart move because you never know when you'll need them, and at some point you're definitely will because remember, the AC and central air units are machines and machines do break or wear out sometime.
I don't know how my Mom lived for So long on the tiny amount she ate he last years but one thing that always worked was the custard my Uncle brought which was just plain old fashioned custard and for dinner every night ,I gave her mashed potatoes,Campbell's chicken noodle soup and jello...Every single night.She had lost her taste buds so she said she liked the texture of foods more than the taste.Whatever,it kept her going.In the morning I gave her a chocolate Boost or Ensure but I added A lot of chocolate syrup to it,alittle water and a lot of ice.She liked a rootbeer float some afternoons and drank a lot of gingerale too.It's tricky I know and I really hope you find the foods she will eat.Sorry you have to go through this.She is lucky to have you.Take care...Lu
Since it is very, very hot here in AZ, I bought all cold fresh deli foods, and my husband gobbled them up (i.e. pasta salad, Waldorf salad, pistachio? salad and coconut cream pie). Anything your loved one wants, give it to them (unless they are diabetic or another medical reason that prevents it). Happy cool eating!
I never know when my husband will wake up hungry, so I have these 3-minute prep meals/snacks always ready to go: 1/2 Stoffers frozen meals (like mac&cheese), caffinated soft drinks (mountain dew, coke), tiny stick pretzels, peanuts, canned fruit of any kind, fresh fruit---grapes, cherries, strawberries with sugar, apple slices--, fig newtons, cut-up boiled egg or chicken breast, single piece of pizza, homemade muffins (with raisins, nuts, shredded carrots), oatmeal, glass of milk, sometimes carry-out like Wendy's hamburger or chicken marsala, ice cream with a second helping in a deep cup for our dog Daisy, protein bar, cut into small pieces. My main issue has been not to become hurt or angry when he doesn't want what I've lovingly prepared for him. I've learned to just throw the excess food out and continue with sweet words and conversation. His hospice doctor said he can eat anything he wants. So far he's lost very little weight, but he does sleep some 22 hrs a day.
Keep trying different foods, but keep the bites small and somewhat chopped up so swallowing difficulties are minimized. Plan to take over an hour per meal and/or snack to encourage eating by socializing during the meal/snack. Teens Snow has a video that includes feeding a person by sitting on their dominant side, and touching their arm each time you give them a bite. It helps. The idea is that the person who is living with dementia who can not feed herself/himself will take the touch to the dominant arm as a memory aid that they are themselves taking a bite using their arm. Offer plenty of liquids including the high calorie ensure-type drinks which are loaded with supplemental vitamins.
One of the last things my mom would eat was sweet potatoes. I would bake her one and put the cinnamon and sugar on it. She ate that up until about 2 weeks before she passed away. She went through so many stages of liking something, for so long it was KFC chicken strips and slaw, so we had that at least once a week. Every time her taste would change we'd have to find something else. But the sweet potatoes were the last thing she really seemed to enjoy. All through we were using Boost also.
I used to feed my Mom chocolate. It was her only happiness, and I just wanted her to eat. She wasn't diabetic, so it wouldn't hurt her. Candy bars too. The staff said she was eating her meals, so the candy was a treat for her.
It sounds to me like the person may be in and life stages and the body may be shutting down. I know not everyone will stop eating and drinking because every journeys and is uniquely different. What some doctors do is give liquid ensure. Ensure is good for a wide number of purposes, and this is what I would recommend besides liquid boost to keep the persons nutrients going
In the late stage of life, most people stop eating or wanting to. That's ok, it really is part of the progression of letting go of life. It can also be a symptom of kidney failure. Hospice nurses are most helpful in these end life stages.
Here are some other things you can also try:
Ice cream
Popsicles
Subs and sandwiches
Other cold cuts such as fresh fruits and veggies with dip
Keeping cold refrigerated drinks on hand is also a good idea. If you have a drink thermos such as one of those 5 gallon drink dispensers, you can put a bag or two of ice in there with water. You can glass or two handy by the cooler, or you can even have a thermal water bottle the patient can fill. Other drinks you can also keep in the drink cooler is iced tea, Kool-Aid, or even Gatorade. You can also get those personal drink coolers that are about a half gallon or close to a gallon. You can put ice water for any of the other cold drinks in the personal cooler. You can take a piece of hose for some models and turn it into a remote straw so the person doesn't have to lift the heavy cooler or risk spilling anything, because all they have to lift is the remote straw. If you choose to use the remote straw with the personal drink cooler idea, just be careful not to let it siphon when you put the straw down. The best way to prevent siphoning when you're done with the remote Strahl coming from the personal drink cooler is to lift up the part you were using so the drink still stuck in the remote straw can return from the remote straw back to the cooler. Surprisingly, remote straws are very easily made from aquarium hose, aquarium hose is found where aquarium supplies are sold. You can customize a remote straw to any length you need, and they are very easily cleaned by soaking in hot soapy water and rinsing thoroughly when clean. Having a big thermos full of some kind of nice cold drink is a favorite go to for many people on hot summer days. You can even take the portable cooler with you wherever you go.
* I must forewarn that if it's pretty hot where you are, you may want to stay in during the day either go out in the early morning or the evening. You don't want to be stuck without AC if it gets in the hundreds, people have died from the high heat. If you do your research on this topic, you'll find that so many people die each year from heat stroke alone, children and elderly are among them. Even healthy people who are otherwise healthy can also be affected by dangerous summer heat, so be careful. If you have a window AC, have a back up unit handy in case your current one suddenly fails, you'll definitely need it. If you have central air, wouldn't be a bad idea to have a back up unit that can be simply installed should it be needed. If you keep back up machinery like this, keep it in a moisture free temp controlled environment. Always having backup units of things you absolutely need is a very smart move because you never know when you'll need them, and at some point you're definitely will because remember, the AC and central air units are machines and machines do break or wear out sometime.