Having a good appetite is the most important sign of human health. This means that his body functions in a normal mode, and all metabolic processes occur without failures, as needed. Appetite per se is a universal physiological reaction of the body, which can be characterized by the most common desire to eat something.
If a person has a reduced need for food, then in this case there may be disturbances in biorhythms and even vital functions. Often, older people are faced with the fact that they have significantly reduced the need for food. This condition should not be considered normal and close your eyes to the problem. The consequences of unwillingness to eat properly can lead to rather serious complications. Therefore, it is worthwhile to understand in more detail how to increase the appetite of an elderly person. Sometimes for this, events that will be held at home are enough. However, in order to correct the situation, it is often necessary to turn to an experienced specialist and undergo a course of treatment with medications.
Why is appetite reduced
An apathetic attitude towards food can occur if a person suffers from diseases of internal organs, such as the intestines, stomach or liver. This often happens against the background of malfunctions of the endocrine system, diabetes mellitus and a general decrease in the efficiency of the thyroid gland. The development of cancer, senile dementia, helminthic invasion can provoke an ailment.
Also, a decrease in appetite is observed in those people who suffer from mental disorders and are in an unstable emotional state. Some medications or a chemotherapy course that a person has taken can also provoke apathy for food. Often, those who abuse alcohol and smoking for a long time begin to refuse food.
In addition, the appearance of poor appetite may be the first signal of future problems in the functioning of the cardiovascular system. Often refusal of food occurs during seasonal colds or with autoimmune pathologies.
What is fraught with a decrease in appetite
If we talk about how to increase the appetite of an elderly person 89 years old (younger or slightly older), then it is worth noting that it is quite logical to refuse food will lead to the fact that a pensioner will lose weight very much. The body will not receive the necessary energy, and this will provoke a breakdown and general weakness. The work of all systems of the human body or individual organs will gradually slow down. Most of all, a lack of food affects the performance of the brain. He must receive the necessary amount of trace elements, as well as nutrients daily.
If the refusal of food is delayed for a long time, muscle atrophy and problems with the musculoskeletal system may occur. It is possible that the first signs of an anorexic condition will appear. Many may be surprised, but a huge number of elderly people suffer from such a problem. In this case, the patient may absolutely not complain about anything, but at the same time continue to lose weight, as he simply does not want to eat food.
Why is this condition dangerous?
If you do not take any measures and urgently do not decide how to increase the appetite of an elderly person, then the problem will worsen, and this can lead to death. In order to solve a serious issue, it is recommended first of all to contact an endocrinologist, psychotherapist and gastroenterologist. Based on diagnostic data and a full examination of the body, specialists will be able to choose the best treatment of a complex type.
How to improve your appetite
To begin with, it is important to understand that all the centers that are responsible for hunger and satiety of the body are located in the human brain. This means that very often the problems are connected precisely with the psycho-emotional state of the pensioner. Therefore, experts recommend drawing images of food in the subconscious as often as possible.
For example, you can imagine how this or that dish is being prepared. In this case, you need to think about every detail of the cooking process. For example, a pleasant aroma spreads across the kitchen. It is necessary to draw in detail in the head the meat that is in the oven and is covered with a delicious crispy crust. It is worth mentally cutting a piece from it and sending it into your mouth. It is important to evaluate your emotions and feel how tasty and juicy meat turned out.
Such stimulations are one of the effective methods of how to increase the appetite of an elderly person. This method allows you to provoke a desire to eat something.
Power Features
Doctors also recommend switching to the so-called fractional diet. This means that you need to eat in small portions, but often. In this case, the digestive system will not be too overloaded, this is especially true in those situations where you need to increase the appetite of an elderly person after surgery. It is often after surgery that some apathy for food appears. If it lasts a couple of days, that's fine. However, in the case when, after a weekly period, a person refuses food, it is important to take measures. After all, a timely reaction will help prevent disaster.
What foods increase appetite in the elderly
First of all, the necessary centers of the brain are stimulated by the use of sweets. And if a person refuses to eat cakes, sweets or chocolate, then it is worth offering him sweet soda as a temporary alternative. Of course, there is no benefit in such drinks and treats, but when a person doesn’t eat anything at all, you have to go to extreme measures. But it is important to consider, when it comes to how to increase the appetite of an elderly person with diabetes mellitus, that this method will not work at all. If there are no problems of this type, you can continue to experiment with food.
Also, the stimulation of taste centers occurs if a person eats salty foods. Therefore, it is worth including nuts, crackers, pickles and much more in the diet. However, all these foods can adversely affect the body of an elderly person. Therefore, it is worth putting more emphasis on wholesome food.
In this case, there are several foods that increase appetite in the elderly. For example, bananas, white bread, ginger, grapes, potatoes and oranges have an excellent effect. It will not be superfluous to offer the patient a few rosehip berries, sea buckthorn or black currant. These foods not only provoke the urge to eat, but also have a lot of vitamins. For example, berries contain a large amount of ascorbic acid, which is necessary for a weakened body. Doctors often recommend drinking it in tablets. But why, if there is a natural product?
What vitamins can increase appetite
Such additives have a very effective effect. If the products that increase appetite in the elderly did not work, you can try to take a course of taking vitamin B12 and C. However, you should first consult a specialist.
If we talk about the effect of the vitamin, then, for example, B12 is able to normalize the metabolism of the carbohydrate and fat type. In addition, such an additive helps prevent stressful or depressive conditions. B12 has a positive effect and maintains the tone of the whole organism. Ascorbic acid helps stimulate appetite. Also, this vitamin has a positive effect on the work of other systems and organs of an elderly person.
What herbs can
If you study how to increase the appetite of an elderly person with folk remedies, you can allocate a large number of funds that can alleviate the condition. For example, many use seasonings. The best effect is bay leaf, horseradish, basil and dill. Such spices are recommended to be added to food. In some cases, you can give them immediately before meals.
Such herbs can break down fats and improve digestion. An older person can also make tea from anise stars. It is also recommended to prepare infusions on the root of dandelion, wormwood, centaury.
Can appetite be improved with color therapy?
Everyone knows that depending on the shade of the walls in the house, you can talk about the psychological and emotional state of a person. Each color has its own effect, so it would be logical to assume that such therapeutic measures will help in solving the problem being studied. Many may be skeptical of this method. However, considering ways to increase an elderly person’s appetite, it will be useful to familiarize yourself with this information.
For example, red can increase heart rate and blood pressure. All this leads to a significant improvement in appetite. Orange positively affects the functioning of the brain, activating it. Thanks to this, those centers that are responsible for the appearance of hunger are included.
Yellow color is considered a symbol of joy, so it will help in a situation when a person is under stress and against the background of this simply can not eat. It is also recommended to give preference to green color - it is a symbol of everything alive and fresh. Hue stimulates digestion and increases appetite. However, all these activities are recommended if the problem appears relatively recently. When a person is in a poor state for a long time and he already has signs of anorexia, a more serious approach is required. It is best to sign up to a specialist.
See a doctor
If, against the background of a loss of desire to eat, an elderly person began to lose much weight, then in this case, you definitely need to visit a doctor. It is possible that the presence of poor appetite indicates a serious pathology. In order to exclude it, it is necessary to conduct a complete medical examination, which will help to understand why the patient refuses to eat. This is especially true when it comes to how to increase the appetite of an elderly person after a stroke. After all, after such stressful conditions for the body, the activity of the brain can be disrupted. This can even lead to the need to introduce food artificially.
Diagnostic measures
First of all, you need to take blood and urine for analysis. It is possible that the problem lies in diseases or unstable liver function. Only a decrease in appetite appears against the background of the development of diabetes or hormonal imbalance. During the analysis of urine, a specialist will be able to identify a possible infection associated with the work of the kidneys. Additionally, an x-ray is performed, thanks to which it will be clear whether the patient has pneumonia or lung cancer. Also, in the process of diagnostic measures, a procedure called ultrasound (ultrasound examination) is often used, various tests that show how the liver, kidneys, thyroid gland and many other organs function.
If you drag too much on going to the doctor, you can allow serious exhaustion of the body. The functioning of the systems will be disrupted. The remaining consequences are easy to guess. Therefore, in this situation, the doctor can even resort to medical treatment.
How to increase the appetite of an elderly person: pills
In such situations, drugs that enhance the secretion of gastric juice are primarily used. They provoke increased salivation, which is the first call for food. Prescribed tablets should be taken exclusively at the dosage and during the time that was indicated by the doctor.
It is important to note that in order to increase the appetite of an elderly person, a variety of medicines can be prescribed. However, most often, doctors give preference to "Elixir of Pernexin", "Periaktin", "Apilak". Iron preparations are also often prescribed. For example, Ferrum or Fenyuls. Additionally, dietary supplements can be assigned.
The process of restoring appetite in an elderly person
If we talk about how much time it will take for the pensioner to feel hungry again, it is worth noting that it all depends on the reason that provoked this condition. For example, if an elderly person was diagnosed with dementia, then you can not do without artificial nutrition. In this case, the so-called gastronomic tube is introduced into the body, and all the necessary nutrients are supplied in the form of a high-calorie mixture. Often, appetite disappears against the background of surgical intervention. In this case, antibiotics are considered the most effective and fastest.