[Sca-cooks] OT-OP-help for ideas, please

[chawkswrth at aol.com]

All of the responses have been wonderful! Thank you!

Perhaps i should give an idea of his diet so far;

Morning-Old-fashioned Oats, made to his specifications, with half-n-half and LOTS of honey. Coffee, with Honey, salt, and a fiber additive. (He will eat about a third to a half of the oats, but he drinks all of the coffee) 

Lunch-Soup, hot water, applesauce, or whatever Mother can stand over him and make him eat. Veinna Sausage, small glasses of milk...sometimes just instant breakfast in warm milk.

Supper-usually a protein, a starch and a veggie. We have an emersion blender and we are not afraid to use it! His favorite is cubed steak cooked in gravy till fork tender, rice and gravy, buscuit and gravy and a baked sweet potato. Dessert is either pudding or jello. 
We are lucky if he eats three bites of anything on his plate-but he scrapes the pudding....

Those are on good days. Bad days-come all too often.

The Boost Milkshake is the Mayfield Vanilla ice Cream he loves, blended with the liquid Boost. Two scoops, one bottle, and the blender stick....

These days, he spends a lot of time sleeping, he has macular degeneration and he is quite deaf. But, his mind is still very active. He can tell you the names of all of his neighbors-and their children, the years of where they lived, and he even tells us stories that his Uncles and Grandfather told of the days of Reconstruction. 

But, getting him interested in eating _anything_ is hard. he knows he needs to eat, but...he doesn't want to. 

Thank you!

Helen

-----Original Message-----
From: Huette von Ahrens <ahrenshav at yahoo.com>
To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>
Sent: Sun, 23 Sep 2007 10:16 pm
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] OT-OP-help for ideas, please



I understand your problems and sympathize.  My grandmother, just before she 
turned 100, developed
a tumor in her throat, which blocked her ability to swallow.  My aunt would 
puree all of her food,
so that she would be able to eat normal food.  Once the tumor fully blocked her 
throat, she had to
be hospitalized.  She died a few weeks later.  That was in 1993.

My mother, who is 91, has problems eating much also, although she does still 
have all her teeth.
But because she had a stroke four years ago, she doesn't move enough to build up 
an appetite.
She also likes her sweets.  I discussed this with her doctor who essentially 
said, "She is at the
end of her life.  Indulge her, but make sure that she gets her nutrition, either 
by giving her
daily supplements or by drinking Ensure."  My mother also takes three or four 
bites of real food,
saying she is full, but when we offer her jello or yoghurt or cookies, she finds 
plenty of room
for them.  I make sure that her jello has fresh, but soft fruit in it, like 
bananas or canned
peaches.
Yoghurt is a milk product and has good bactium that helps her digestion.  For 
your grandfather,
make him fresh puddings and custards, because they have more nutritional value 
than those
commercial versions.

For your information, Boost and Ensure are not "milk shakes".  They are 
nutritional supplements.
Both in my grandmother's and my mother's cases we found that they tolerated 
Ensure much better
than Boost.  For some reason Boost causes/caused diarrhea, when Ensure does not.  
You could also
give him Slim Fast with each meal, which will give him his nutrition while he 
eats his sweets.  If
you make it with real ice cream, he will like it better.  

But you should remember that getting him to eat anything is the idea.  Even if 
it is sweet.  Since
he doesn't have teeth, you don't have to worry about tooth decay.  I doubt that 
he will develop
diabetes in his old age.  My mother's doctor is right.  They are old.  Let them 
have what they
want, but make sure that they get their daily nutrition through supplements.  
Supplements can
substitute for nutritious food.  That is my take on it.  YMMV.

Huette


--- chawkswrth at aol.com wrote:

> Good Morning!
> 
> I come to all of you, seeking some help, please. Both my Mother and I are 
about at the end of
> our rope.
> My Grandfather (her Father) is 101. He is in poor health, weak, with very 
painful Arthritis. We
> are having a great deal of trouble finding things that he will eat. 
> He is awaiting dentures, so he has no teeth. He wants 'mushy food'
> He complains that what we fix has no taste. He can only taste sweet things, 
which is not
> unusual. The sweet taste buds are the first to develope and the last to go. 
> He may eat about 3-4 bites and then says he is full. No room for anything 
except pudding or
> jello. 
> 
> I need something easily eaten, tasty, and packed as full of nutrition as 
possible. I have
> started him on Boost Milk shakes, but, man cannot live by milkshakes alone....
> 
> Any ideas are welcome! 
> 
> Thank you!
> 
> Helen
> ________________________________________________________________________
> Email and AIM finally together. You've gotta check out free AOL Mail! - 
http://mail.aol.com
> _______________________________________________
> Sca-cooks mailing list
> Sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org
> http://lists.ansteorra.org/listinfo.cgi/sca-cooks-ansteorra.org
> 


My thoughts are whirled like a potter's wheel;   King Henry VI, part I: I, v 
http://www.twoheartsentwinedpottery.com/


      ____________________________________________________________________________________
Shape Yahoo! in your own image.  Join our Network Research Panel today!   
http://surveylink.yahoo.com/gmrs/yahoo_panel_invite.asp?a=7 


_______________________________________________
Sca-cooks mailing list
Sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org
http://lists.ansteorra.org/listinfo.cgi/sca-cooks-ansteorra.org


________________________________________________________________________
Email and AIM finally together. You've gotta check out free AOL Mail! - http://mail.aol.com