I really need some help/advice. My 88 year old mom will not eat very much at all. She has some depression/anxiety which means toward evening she gets even worse (she is on an anti-depressant). She also has trouble because of her dentures (which she now hates) which she has had since she was in her 40's). She sometimes refuses to have her teeth in and it is not possible for her to drink or eat without them. We use a lot of the ensure type drinks to get as much nutrition in her in the early part of the day. Are there better ideas for increasing her nourishment. Ideas for working on her moods and anxiety. Thanks so much, I'd appreciate any help.
3 days after stopping the med she started eating decent again (not great, but there was a definite improvent... and she has problems with her dentures too). Also, switching from some name brand to generic are known to create problems for some because of absorption issues... my mom being one of them.
Anti-depressants won't do anything for you when the underlying causes of the depression persist. When I used to take these "happy pills" I felt a little perkier, and would smile all over the place. People on the subway would stare at me as if to say "What the f__ is wrong with this cat?" or just slide down the seat and put some distance between us.
When the effects wore off, the depression was still there. Food tasted all the same to me (rust?). I'd lift a sandwich to my lips, stare at it, and cry. (Wish the AgingCare article "5 Reasons Why Crying Is Good For You" had been around.) Went to my psychiatrist, a licensed drug dealer, and he offered even more meds to mask the symptoms. I told him I wanted to figure out the underlying causes of my depression so I could do something about it. He didn't help much. So I went to my neighborhood bartender. A little talk therapy, and I had an epiphany. I'm not going to go into it, as we'll be here all day.
Anyway, I have 2 suggestions: (1) The idea of gumming your food is depressing in itself, so I'd go with soft foods that you don't have to fight with; and (2) Being cooped up 24/7 will definitely perpetuate the depression. She needs to walk around a bit more, or go to a nearby park and hobnob with her peers on a park bench. It might not be Park Avenue, but it's a start. Commiserating with people in her age group might alleviate some of the depression enough to have a large bowl of creamed chicken, and finish it.
Sorry my love, but as Carol said this is a tricky problem. No cookie-cutter formula, no clear-cut solution. Only suggestions. Hope mine help.
stead of milk or water per the instructions on the box, OR you can put the boost
in the blender with a banana or some other fruits for a smoothy, if it is hot weather
you can freeze into pops. Lastly, play the game 'Redlight/ Greenlight...pretending to eat with the elder with this game using a hour glass timer. Look at kindergarten eating games too. We have the same problems with 3 or 4 yr olds who don't want to eat or are just picky and taking forever and a day to eat so little.
My mother didn't have much of an appetite her last years, and it's not fun to have people badgering you to eat. I promised her I wouldn't do that. Fluids are the most important, and we'd encourage her to drink as much fluid as she could. She would drink a little nutritional drink, but not much. I brought her fresh fruit because she liked that. That gave her some energy and nutrition. Not enough, of course, but something. She kept losing weight.
I imagine your mother's dentures are uncomfortable, and she doesn't have much bone left to even "glue" them in with a fixing product. My dad had that problem, since he lost his teeth due to a health problem, when he was in his thirties. Without teeth, the bone deteriorates and there's nothing left to put hold the dentures in. That was a huge issue with dad, and contributed to his not wanting to eat.
That shouldn't affect your mother's drinking liquids, though, so there may be more to it than that.
Good luck with this tricky problem. I envision my kids worrying about this with me, as I've always had a touchy stomach, just like my mom. Meds of any kind can be a problem. Keep pushing the doctor to try different options, unless she is just at a point where he says her body doesn't want food. But it doesn't sound like she's at that point.
Carol