My mother is losing weight. I am feeling so frustrated.How can I get her to eat more?

26. My mother is losing weight. I am feeling
so frustrated.How can I get her to eat more?

One major reason for eating less is poor appetite.
This can be related to nausea or to pain and
difficulty chewing or swallowing.

Getting her to eat more isn’t necessarily the only solution
to her weight loss. Check with her doctor to make
sure you understand the possible physical reasons your
mother is losing weight. If she seems to be eating her
meals and is still not getting enough calories, you can
increase the amount she takes in either by increasing
the total amount of food she eats, or by seeing that the
food she does eat packs more of a punch calorie-wise.

However, if she is not eating all her meals, try to
understand the cause(s). One major reason for eating
less is poor appetite. This can be related to nausea or to
pain and difficulty chewing or swallowing (usually
caused by mouth sores or dryness). The medical team
can guide you to the correct medications and treatments
for these conditions. If these are not issues, a
reduced appetite can be traced to changes in taste and
sensitivities, an early feeling of fullness, and/or emotional
upset.

There are a number of tips that may help increase your
mother’s appetite. Try making the atmosphere surrounding
meals pleasant and sociable, and avoid making
it a chore. Smaller meals, eaten throughout the
day, can seem more manageable to finish at a sitting,
and may enable her to eat more in total than three
large meals. Experiment with seasonings to reduce the
ones your mother finds unpleasant, and substitute others
she finds more appealing. Light exercise before
meals also helps to stimulate the appetite. Have your
mother avoid foods and drinks that cause gas and thus
lead to an early sensation of being full.

To increase the amount of protein and calories in the
food she does eat, adding butter, sour cream, and
yogurt to dishes not only helps to boost the number of
calories, but also improves their taste. Substituting
milk for water in soups, sauces, or in hot cereals can
also add calories to her diet, but check with the doctor
or dietitian to make sure that the extra calcium or fat
will not be a problem. Use nuts, wheat germ, and
peanut butter as protein-rich additions to snacks, and
encourage your mother to enjoy these snacks throughout
the day. Eating high-calorie foods and trying to
gain weight can represent a major shift for most people,
who for most of their lives tried not to gain (or
even to lose) pounds. It may take time for your mother
to shift her way of thinking.

For more tips on how to raise the caloric and nutritional
value of your mother’s diet, or to look into the
possibility of using commercially prepared supplements,
check with a dietitian, nurse, or pharmacist. If
you are interested in vitamin supplements or medications
to further stimulate the appetite, be sure to check
with your mother’s nurse or doctor before adding them
to her diet.