My 89 year old mother with Alzheimer's is constantly hungry lately, even after eating a meal.
Physically, there is nothing much wrong with my mother, although she is a feeble walker and uses a cane. Her short term memory seems to be getting worse, she cannot remember when she last ate, will ask to eat again right after a meal and seems always hungry. She is underweight and I'm not worried about her weight but just wondering what the problem is.
Hi, Karen,
Actually, you have hit upon the reason your mother is constantly hungry - your mother doesn't remember that she ate. I often experienced this with my mother. I often would go to visit her at the nursing home after lunch. I'd ask her what she had for lunch and whether it was good. She'd look at me and swear that she hadn't eaten lunch.
The nursing home often had a mid-afternoon snack time (often ice cream, which satisified my mother's sweet tooth). So perhaps you can add snack times mid-morning and afternoon. This shouldn't be a problem since your mother is underweight, and it might help stave off some of the constant hunger pangs.
Take care and keep us posted!
Dorian
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Thanks for posting your question Karen. Sounds to me like Dorian hit this right on the head. In seearching the site I found several articles/posts on diet. I thought you might be interested in reading some of them.
Diets of Alzheimer's patients lack many nutrients
Health Tip: Diet for People With Alzheimer's
Mediterranean Diet May Boost Alzheimer's Survival
All the best, sue
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It is understandable that you have concerns for your mother. Although your mother might experience constant hunger as a result of her memory loss and brain dysfunction that may hinder her ability to remember whether she ate or not and has disrupted her hunger patterns. It is important to have her evaluated by a physician, as there could be other factors that are contributing to her constant hunger and low weight. Some of these conditions may be reversible and may or may not be related to Alzheimer's disease. Some individuals who are classified as underweight do not have any nutritional deficiencies or other health concerns, whereas others may have underlying issues that require close medical attention. Besides first bringing your mother to her physician, also consider consulting with a nutritionist or dietician if your mother is otherwise healthy in order to address specialized nutritional needs.
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Karen, this is common with my husband, also. Before he was diagnosed, he was home from work and constantly asking me when it was time to eat because he forgot he had eaten. Now I remind him he has had his meal and he accepts that. I do have snacks for him also, because sometimes he won't eat very much during the meal.
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