My dad never seems to get full. We will eat a meal and he will be looking for something else to eat in 30 minutes or less. If he hasn't had something sweet to eat after the meal, then he will want something later on. When my dad was younger he always ate fast. He said that when you go through the service, you learn to eat fast because of the demands. THis carried over into civilian life when as the owner of an independent pharmacy, he did not have the luxury of a lunch hour. He continued his habit of fast eating out of necessity. Now, he is usually the last one to finish his meal. His fine motor skills are not as sharp. So sometimes he has difficulty maneuvering his fork and knife. He also has difficulty keeping his napkin on his lap. I am glad that he can still eat without making a big mess and embarrassing himself or Mom. They enjoy eating out and this is good for Dad in the area of socialization.
Dad is not overweight, but he thinks that he needs to lose about 10 pounds. He comments on this regularly. I have told him that he is at a great weight for his height and his age. When we went to see the neurologist, I told him about Daddy's concern about his weight. The neurologist told my dad that he was at the perfect weight. He explained that if Dad was 30 he might suggest losing 5 pounds, but he told Dad that at his age perfectly normal illnesses could kill him, such as the flu or a bad case of a stomach virus. I realize that there may come a time when Daddy forgets to eat and loses weight-but for now, bring on the desserts. Wish I could do that!!!
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3 comments:
Donna, this sounds just like my dad. He ate anything you put in front of him until about a month before he died. But he was losing weight. The dr's said that is one stage they sometimes go through in dementia. The part of the brain that tells the body to retain calories stops working. (this is farther along than your dad seems to be though) He also had this obsession that he needed to lose weight....even when he was skin and bones! Interesting that they have gone through some of the same things!
this was interesting to me... rob's dad always wants to eat. i thought it was because it seems like one of the few pleasures left to him... he no longer reads or walks or converses or anything like that, but eating remains a physical pleasure.
the weight loss thing hasn't happened to us, but that could be because he has a different type of dementia.
My grandmother who had alzheimers did a similar thing. She would literally forget that she just ate! And she sort of lost touch with what her body was telling her so she didn't stop to think, "I'm full". The thing that worked best for her was a mealtime routine. Meals and snacks at the same time every day.
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