This usually happens to people with mild or moderate dementia who are still living at home; it should not be happening in a facility. Otherwise, quite advanced dementia when people are totally bedbound can indeed be associated with weight loss. This can happen if the person starts to have difficulty swallowing, or if the body otherwise starts to shut down due to quite advanced dementia.
My Dad has been a heart patient valve regurgitation for almost 7 years. I was wondering what should we do or how do we modify his diet to control this unintentional weight loss. Effective treatment of his weight loss needs to target the underlying cause of his weight loss. Otherwise, general dietary approaches that tend to help is to make sure the food is appealing to him, easily accessible, calorie-dense, and includes a lot of protein.
As a 70 year old woman who has lost 35 pounds in the last 4 months I became concerned and found your site. Thank you so much for your insight and encouragement. As I am eating less and less and not enjoying food at al. Your no nonsense approach was what I needed. Off to the Doctor for a frank discussion. Thanks to this article I know how to approach the issue and what questions to ask. I am sorry to hear of your weight loss but delighted to know that the article was useful.
I hope your conversations with your providers bring you the information and advice that you need. My mother in law, keeps dropping weight. She has moderate dementia. She will sometimes eat if something is put front of her. She keeps rejecting meals on wheels saying she is fine. We think she forgets to eat. She refuses home healthcare or assisted living. She is down to lbs. How can we get her to eat?
She has rejected all doctors suggestions. First of all, I hope she has had a thorough medical evaluation to look for medical problems that might be affecting her eating or her weight. If she lives alone and cannot feed herself reliably, then she is potentially experiencing self-neglect, and if she really endangers her health, she may eventually have to be forced to move. Self-neglect is challenging, especially when people have dementia. The usual recommended approach is to ask the doctor for help and also report to Adult Protective Services.
These are difficult situations.
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My father is 71 years old. He is about 5 feet 9 inches tall and he used to weigh around 65kg back in He had lost around 16kg over 7 years. Since then he has maintained at 49kg. He only has hypertension. Blood test two years ago was normal including thyroid levels. He can eat a lot breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack and supper and he eats very healthy lots of fruits, vegetables, oats, bread.
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He also has a good bowel movement everyday and stools are normal. Is there any value in doing a colonoscopy? I read about whey protein isolate for sports people and was wondering if it would be a better option than the ones he has tried? Thank you. It sounds like he lost weight but for some time now has been stable at a lower weight? See here for the options. Otherwise, we generally recommend calorie-dense foods and extra protein. Whey protein has been studied and can be helpful. You can also try eggs, tofu, yogurt.
Some research suggests older adults benefit from 1. You can also increase calorie content with olive oil, avocado, and other healthy fats. I am a 91 year old female was very fit playing golf body surfing no medicationuntil 5 years ago I had Giant cell arthritis Started on 40 Prednisolone reduced to 6 but had further symptoms so have remained on this medication.
Normally weighed about 9stone which had reduced from 10stone before illness In last 6 months no longer play golf — stopped body surfing 2 years ago. Now find I am regularly losing weight — down to about 8lbs 4 ozs gone from size 16 to Eat Weetabix or porridge breakfast. People comment on my loss of weight — lots of loose skin. Do not feel ill — but tire. Live with 91 year old husband -large family close by. Try to eat things to increase weight but no luck.
No difference in bowel action — regular once each morning. Have regular 2 monthly blood test because of being on Prednisolone so far no negative result from doctor Advice please how to put on weight — my clothes are all getting too big!! Sorry to hear of this recent weight loss.
If you are still continuing to lose weight, I would recommend bringing it up to your usual health provider and asking them to help you figure out WHY you are losing the weight. In the article, I cover the more common causes, so ask your health provider about those. Otherwise, to stabilize weight, we generally recommend calorie-dense foods with extra protein.
My husband has Parkinson and diabetes he has lost a lot if weight he was about 4 years ago drop to since then he has progressively losed know been to many dr. Two complete cat scans and mri of brain. He has Parkinson trouble sawallowing medication seem to help he does eat three meals a day not like he did but he does eat. No one seems to no why he is losing so much weight. It is becoming more loss in the pass weeks. Takes supplements. Sorry to hear of his weight loss, I can see why you are worried. It can sometimes be difficult to figure out why a person is losing weight.
A few great reasons to manage your weight:
It might also help to see if they can assist with some kind of calorie counting and evaluation of how much he is actually taking in. I used to weight down to I did have endescopy done last month I was having burning sensation on upper stomach. Biopsy came back positive for H. Feeling good now but every 3 months I may get same burning goes away by itself… Why taking a strong course of antibiotics I really feel this is not the real problem..
Managing Weight to Control High Blood Pressure | American Heart Association
Well, in some cases it can take some investigation to figure out why an older person might be losing weight. I would recommend continuing to monitor your weight and your symptoms, so that your providers can continue to monitor to you and see if more clarity emerges regarding what might be going on. You may also want to consider getting a second opinion. Hey my father suffered from heart attack about 1 years ago due to blockage in the arteries causeof increased level of cholesterol, 2 stent were placed.
He was very healthy before the operation but after it he is being losing weight and by my observation leam muscles too , he also have diabetes and for few months his appetite is also not that good , as he got diabetes most of food is limited cause of fats and sugar. Can you suggest what can be the problem. It is difficult to say precisely what the cause of his challenges is however a good place to start might be documenting exactly how his weight is changing. Sometimes when we weigh someone regularly every week or 2 should be sufficient we find that things are actually stable or improving slowly.
After a heart attack many people start medications which can affect appetite and energy levels and subsequently weight. Other things that are common after heart attack are dietary changes that can take off a few pounds and depression. Is also possible that because of the heart attack your Dad suffered some damage to his heart muscle which has affected his energy and activity level and subsequently his appetite. Kernisan to someone in a similar situation.
Looking after your weight
I hope this is helpful and best of luck. Your conscientious response to queries and down-to-earth, common-sensical advice are. A workout regular. Good appetite. Healthy diet. Great zest for life. Chronic digestive problems. Doc recommends colonoscopy but I had one just 3 years ago. Thank you! Thank you for joining our reader community.
Sorry to hear of your digestive issues though. Ultrasounds are also sometimes used, as are CT scans. That said, an internal procedure would allow the doctors to visualize the lining of your gut and also take some biopsies. If you have doubts, I would recommend considering a second opinion, preferably at an academic medical center.
And of course, ask the doctors what they hope to learn from the colonoscopy and is there any other way to get this diagnostic information?