Older person - no appetite

My Mum is having ensure drinks. She was prescribed them by community dietician.

Thanks. I will look them up.
I am clueless about this sort of thing.

I was really ill last year but didn't like ensure so I had Fortisip and Fortijuice (sp)

When dealing with someone (elderly) who wouldn't eat. I put each meal on a tray with tray cloth and nice china and used small plates wih very little on them. Perhaps 3 or 4 slices of banana with a similar number of similar sized pieces of cake or cheese and a nice cup of tea.

I fed the eyes before I fed the stomach and it did help me get more food down than had been eaten previously.

I think soups, porridge, mashed potato - any little snacks seem to go down well. Finely chopped or grated salad items in sandwiches - with maybe some egg or cheese too are much better than a big plate of anything. Think half portions - and more meals, perhaps three-hourly.

A snack with a cup of tea counts. How about making fridge granola bars (recipes online) and cut them into little one-inch squares. They freeze well. I like them made with almond butter, oats, Sweet Freedom cinnamon syrup, chocolate chips and chopped raisins.

My friend's mum is never hungry, so is easily put off by a plate of food. She does eat, however, if she's at the table in a 'Help yourself to anything' social situation. It doesn't help that her teeth are loose and she won't see a dentist.

Unfortunately, she dislikes milky or thickened drinks, but does like hot chocolate. Last time, she ate mini quiches, finely chopped beetroot in mayonnaise and potato salad - with (strangely) vegetable crisps. It's all nutrition and calories, after all.

Thank you for all the suggestions.
I think she does need to be tempted to eat.
It is a bit the matter what she is able to keep down as well.

I think I will get her some drinks that are suggested too.

Sorry to hear you’re feeling out of sorts and off your food fancythat. If you are able to speak to your local pharmacist they should have some nutritional drinks in stock to help build you up. If you’re not keen on the fruity sweet flavours the savoury ones might be more palatable. My Mum’s preference was chicken flavoured Complan as it’s like chicken soup.

Don’t stay feeling like this for too long. If you haven’t done so already maybe a check up with your GP or Practice Nurse is due. You might have an underlying problem that’s making you feel this way and can be easily remedied.

I hope you feel better soon 💐

My mum liked Complan. It’s still available in our local chemist.

Grannynannywanny

Sorry to hear you’re feeling out of sorts and off your food fancythat. If you are able to speak to your local pharmacist they should have some nutritional drinks in stock to help build you up. If you’re not keen on the fruity sweet flavours the savoury ones might be more palatable. My Mum’s preference was chicken flavoured Complan as it’s like chicken soup.

Don’t stay feeling like this for too long. If you haven’t done so already maybe a check up with your GP or Practice Nurse is due. You might have an underlying problem that’s making you feel this way and can be easily remedied.

I hope you feel better soon 💐

It's not for me. Thank you for your concern though.

The person has been like it for a few days. Fluid consumption down by 2/3. Sporadic eating.
I am pretty sure she has a virus.

When my husband was like this I found that homemade soup was something he would drink, leek and potato was his favourite, and also homemade milkshakes ( just full fat milk and fresh fruit zapped with the stick blender). He also decided for himself that hot toddies would do him good (fresh lemon juice, honey, whisky and a glug of boiling water).
I'm not sure which of the above worked but something did.

Fortisips are available on prescription. The main thing, at the moment, is to get some calories into the person. Full-fat milk, rice pudding, sponge pudding with custard, apple crumble, that kind of thing (a lot of elderly people have a sweet tooth), cocoa made with milk.

My friend mixed ensure with double cream, chilled it awhile in the freezer then topped it with grated chocolate, to tempt her invalid sister into consuming some vital calories when she was off her food.

Fancy that : If the person you are caring for has been on only one third of their normal fluid intake for 2 or 3 days I would suggest it's time for medical intervention. Dehydration can have serious consequences. Perhaps phone 111 and seek advice?

Small portions as Monica suggests and make sure it is something that is easy to eat and that the person usually enjoys.

Loss of appetite can be caused by so many things that it is worth trying to get a doctor's appointment. It is useless for us to speculate on the cause, as the list is very long indeed, of things that can usually be dealt with quite easily.

Few people feel like eating if they are slightly unwell, which is yet another reason for seeing the doctor. Don't just put up with feeling unwell - if it lasts longer than a few days, it is time to go to the doctor and find out, if possible what is wrong. Even being told that there is nothing seriously wrong can improve the appetite again, as few of us eat well when worried.

Sometimes the milky foods associated with a happy childhood work well, or cocoa made with milk instead of tea or coffee can provide a little much needed nutrition.

Pain cuts the appetite too, something as simple as eating in a comfortable chair or sofa instead of at the table might help if the person has a sore back,

My mother's appetite dropped away in last years of her life but she always managed to eat the single portion trifles from Tesco!

When my mum was ill and had no appetite she would always eat bananas and drink milkshakes with extra cream . Maybe not the most nutritious but plenty of calories. Jason Manford recently used Macdonald's milkshakes to get Nana Manford out of hospital. Don't overface with the food on the plate little and often is better than nothing at all.

It's worth checking with the GP to see if there's a remediable reason for the lack of appetite. The difficult thing is getting sufficient protein and calories into an elderly person who has lost their appetite. Reverse all of the usual 'healthy eating' advice. Try to adapt their usual favourites by adding cheese, butter, eggs and cream wherever you can eg. in macaroni cheese. Make up a shepherds pie with lots of butter and cheese in the mash. Fruit jelly is good for getting fluids in (as is pasta). You could add some evaporated milk to fruit such as tinned peaches or fruit salad. Tinned fruit is also good for fluids and fibre. Don't forget a bit of salt, unless mum has very high blood pressure. A lot of older people have very LOW BP, and that makes them feel tired, ill and reduces their mood and mental acuity. Good luck!

I wonder if your friend is low in sodium. Try and get her to eat some salty potato crisps. If you can't persuade her to drink more she will need a doctor. Jelly counts as fluid if you can persuade her to have that.

I was very nauseous after major surgery and not interested in food. My acupuncturist who is Chinese told me to boil a whole chicken and drink the liquid. It’s full of nutrition. I guess it’s a bit like the Jewish chicken soup idea. Also take plain white bread and apples. It worked!

I was advised to give my mother fruit cake when she lost her appetite, which worked well.

Vintagegirl my dear Dad was exactly the same, he enjoyed Tesco trifles more than anything else. He did eat a small bowl of Crunchy Nut with blueberries and strawberries on the top for breakfast. Marks and Spencer’s rice pudding. Some soups too. Very difficult and concerning for the carer/family. Check that the person doesn’t have a urine infection, the GP surgery will check a sample usually.

I'm a big fan of soups, either in a mug or bowl depending on the person's physical circumstances.
Instant soup may be acceptable, but it tends to be very salty and may contain MSG.
An alternative is to find some salt-free vegetable stock, make it a little stronger than directed, and throw in some fine noodles. This is digestible and sometimes helps to stimulate the appetite.

Soft boiled egg(s) taken out of shell and into a large glass or glass bowl with slices,(fingers) of fresh wholemeal (or white) B&B. They can dip them in the egg and mop up with them.

A little white fish in parsley/white sauce and some mash and peas.

What about some chips from the chip shop?

A peanut and jam or marmalade sandwich, fresh sliced bread. I'm thinking children food is good.

A fresh jam donut? Scone,butter, jam?

I’ve lived this, tiny regular amounts of food. High fat foods and fortifying milk. I added dried milk powder to full fat milk. Don’t wait for hunger pangs they don’t always arrive. Also stomachs do shrink so let them say they don’t want anything more. Age concern has lots of ideas. I ate dried fruits and nothing was off limits. Good luck and tempting an appetite take tiny steps.