Elderly person is very thin. What should I do?

Question

I saw my elderly mother today at 4 pm. She quickly reached out for the banana I was holding. A nurse came in and fed her some banana "goo" and she's very thin in the face and limbs.

What can be done? Any suggestions?

Answer 1

there is a prescription antidepressant called remeron that is typically used in the elderly because it typically causes appetite stimulation as well as drowsiness, which in the elderly is good because they typically suffer from insomnia.

you might see if the doctor has tried this with her.

Answer 2

1. Its important to make sure her teeth and gums are in good condition as that will impair feeding in the elderly.

2. There are some medications that will increase appetite: megace, marinol, remeron, seroquel, zyprexa.

Answer 3

1)For diet, high protein and calories diet with moderate fat if she got none of vascular disease also with high calcium diet. Also adding some snacks to her and more meals.

2)For the bone, give her a crane where she could reach and use to prevent fracture that skinny elderly are prone to be easier to have fracture once they fell on the floor.

3)For the skin, she is thin and the skin may be fragile as well.

Move all awkward stuffs in the house and the area where she spends most of time in her daily life.  By doing this could prevent unnecessary bumps and injuries causing bruises.

4) Giving her a nice firm shoes with gripping soles that also could prevent her slipping over on wet floor.

5) When weather is cool or cold, she needs more layers of clothes than the other.  And the weight of clothes should be lighter rather too heavier for her to do normal daily basic activities, such as walking or getting up.

6)it would be nice to spend a little time to go outside to exercise if she is capable to do so.  To build up her muscle tone.

7) Grooming her every day to play some lipstick or apply some make up on her face.  Once she feel become sparkling her moods will pump her to eat more.

Answer 4

Ensure has a lot of vitamins and such.

The elderly woman I cared for ate Ensure, jelly, pudding and such.  She couldn't eat solid foods because of cold sores in her mouth.  Protein shakes also work.  Talk to a geriatric doctor or a nutritionist he can tell you more.

Hope that helps!