Longjohn, you are right about becoming Bones.

[MoseySusan ★]

It’s a little scary how thin my dad has become in the last few years. He’s skeletal in his clothes. Bones MacOlde… 

A social worker had given us an article about end-of-life behavior and dying with dignity while remaining at home. It’s hard to see my dad checking off the boxes, but it’s also grace that my brother is in a position to live with my dad. And that I can visit at any time. 
 

[Kzoo]

48 minutes ago, MoseySusan said:

It’s a little scary how thin my dad has become in the last few years

My sister was a geriatric social worker in Savana for several years.  She helped me understand a lot of that as our parents approached end of life issues.  My son in law is an only child and dealing with that with his dad that had health issues a couple weeks ago, rapid mental decline and quickly in a nursing home.  His dad is now more confused and angry and pushing everyone away including my SIL who is the only remaining family member in his life.

[Longjohn ★]

As far as the weight loss goes products like ensure and boost do help. It’s a way to get extra calories and nutrition when you just don’t feel like eating. Of course if you are fighting a terminal illness that might not be much help.

[MoseySusan ★]

2 hours ago, Longjohn said:

As far as the weight loss goes products like ensure and boost do help. It’s a way to get extra calories and nutrition when you just don’t feel like eating.

He ate a banana and donut with coffee for breakfast, and then a banana and cookies with coffee at around 4:00 in the afternoon. He ate crackers and milk for supper. I though maybe soup would be good on days like this. Boost with his breakfast or lunch would be good, too. 
 

But the article the social worker gave us says the elderly don’t die because they aren’t eating; they aren’t eating because they’re dying. His internal organs are in slow decline/various stages of damage. Food is a burden on his organs. 

[Kzoo]

3 minutes ago, MoseySusan said:

 

But the article the social worker gave us says the elderly don’t die because they aren’t eating; they aren’t eating because they’re dying. His internal organs are in slow decline/various stages of damage. Food is a burden on his organs. 

This is one of the things my sister taught me. Food becomes a burden.  Eventually the process of eating becomes a burden.

[MoseySusan ★]

3 minutes ago, Kzoo said:

Eventually the process of eating becomes a burden.

He has no teeth; his food has to conform to the limits of full dentures, and he doesn’t want to cook and do dishes.

[Zealot]

It is difficult to watch those we love and always believed were invincible in our childhood slip into the pains of aging. But it is grace to walk with them to the threshold that we all must cross. 

 

[shootingstar]

2 hours ago, MoseySusan said:

He ate a banana and donut with coffee for breakfast, and then a banana and cookies with coffee at around 4:00 in the afternoon. He ate crackers and milk for supper. I though maybe soup would be good on days like this. Boost with his breakfast or lunch would be good, too. 
 

But the article the social worker gave us says the elderly don’t die because they aren’t eating; they aren’t eating because they’re dying. His internal organs are in slow decline/various stages of damage. Food is a burden on his organs. 

I'm sorry I must have missed what his illness is? 

It's hard to see this decline.  We certainly saw in father when under chemo in last months of his life. 

It would have been great if he took in some soup.

[petitepedal ★]

I remember watching how my aunt..who loved to eat... struggled with having to find and follow a recipe..and then once cooking was over..she was just too exhausted to eat.

[MoseySusan ★]

5 minutes ago, shootingstar said:

I'm sorry I must have missed what his illness is? 

He’s old and has dementia. 

[shootingstar]

10 minutes ago, MoseySusan said:

He’s old and has dementia. 

I just heard from a very close good friend..her 96yr. old father just died in his sleep a wk. ago. He had dementia for past 3 yrs. or so. He used to be a university geography professor.  He did have some congestive heart problems....same problem for 1 of my sister's FIL who died @92 yrs.

These were both fairly active, alert and reasonably healthy men in their retirement.

[shootingstar]

30 minutes ago, petitepedal said:

I remember watching how my aunt..who loved to eat... struggled with having to find and follow a recipe..and then once cooking was over..she was just too exhausted to eat.

My mother has lost weight which is different from 3 yrs. ago. She was already slowly losing it because 20 yrs. ago she was 25 lbs. overweight. So she slowly adjusted food prep. because the dr. warned her of near diabetes 2 reading on top of her 3 decade long tendency to hypertension and gout.  

She is quite good following dr.'s instructions but now she's getting some folk/wrong advice from relatives  (not eat certain fruits which is wrong).  My siblings are frustrated.  It's very difficult to command a higher level of Chinese language fluency to get into detailed explanation on nutrients.  We just don't have the vocabulary. 

This is what I mean, I truly insist how critical it is to preserve a mother tongue because of various family situations.

Well, anyway, at least mother has eaten reasonably healthy for past few decades.