A great deal depends on her stage of Alzheimer's. If she is in the last stages, her body may be shutting down, and that is natural. People then stop eating as their organs aren't working and they don't want food.

If she isn't that bad, then I would work hard to find out what she will eat. Keeping it light helps. If she'll eat fruit, use that. Shakes with plain or vanilla yogurt, frozen fruit and maybe protein powder are light and delicious. She may drink that. Prepared supplemental shakes are favored by some. You may want to try http://www.healthcentral.com/breast-cancer/?ic=1102, the breast cancer site on HealthCentral, as cancer patients often have problems eating during treatment. They could have some good tips.

Carol

As a first step, it is important to consult your mother-in-law's physician to determine any medical reasons for her decreased appetite. Sometimes, a physician will even prescribe a treatment that can stimulate a person's appetite. You can also discuss with the physician if there are certain foods she should be eating in order to encourage eating.

Managing your mother-in-law's eating involves making sure she is receiving adequate nutrition and maintaining a healthy sufficient diet. As Alzheimer's disease is a degenerative illness, many things can change over time such as the desire or ability to eat. Since eating is a very sensory experience, she may react to tastes, textures, aromas, and temperatures. in ways she hadn't before. If your mother-in-law is physically able to eat on her own, you can encourage a healthy appetite by offering her finger foods or high nutrient shakes. If she requires assistance, make sure to maintain eye contact, use a gentle tone of voice, feed small amounts slowly, provide verbal encouragement, and prompt to chew and swallow. Pay special attention to help her avoid choking on her food by making sure she has swallowed each bite before serving her another. Try moistening foods with sauces and gravies, especially those foods that are particularly dry-such as breads. Keep a drink ready during meals to help wash down each bite. And most importantly, be patient and don't expect her to initiate or complete feeding on her own.

The fact that your mother-in-law thinks that everyone is "out to get her" could be a delusional thought, which is not uncommon for some individuals with dementia. The best way to manage her behavior is to maintain patience and a positive attitude at all times. Quite often, validation and redirection techniques can be a successful way to maneuver the situation. Here's a basic example of a conversation you can have.

You: Mom, it's lunchtime. It's time to eat.

MIL: Everyone is out to get me. I won't!

You: Mom, I know that you're afraid but I want to assure you that you are safe.

MIL: You're gonna poison me!                                                                                                                                           

You: Mom, I love you very much and will do whatever it takes to make sure you're ok. By the way, I just made your favorite fried chicken. Doesn't it smell good? Your son tells me that you used to make fried chicken during bbq's every summer...sounded like such good times. I'm having a drumstick. Care to join me?