I don’t want to cook anymore!

• This is a major warning sign of impending malnutrition and subsequent serious complications of undereating.

• When older people stop cooking and say that they are not hungry or just not interested in food, then this ends up becoming a crisis and an medical emergency.

• Why are they just not interested in good food and enjoy eating? What causes an elderly person to not want to eat or elderly person not eating much? The common answers are-

  ·       Depression.

  ·       Dementia.

  ·       Chronic underlying untreated medical conditions.

  ·       Chronic pain.

  ·       Constipation.

  ·       Chronic nausea.

  ·       Dry mouth.

  ·       Swallowing difficulties.

  ·       Gastro-oesophageal reflux.

  ·       Poor mobility.

  ·       Social isolation.

  ·       Adverse drug reactions.

• What happens when elderly don’t eat? If they continue to undereat and starve themselves, then they end up crossing the “Thin Red Line” and end up in the public hospital Emergency Department with falls, delirium, dehydration, infections and very high risk of ending up in a Nursing Home, losing their independence which are all completely preventable with better nutrition and simply eating better!

For more information read Dr Peter Lipski’s book “Your Elderly Parents Failing Health. Is It Ageing Or A Treatable Condition”.