Appetite

When an individual is ill, or receiving medical treatment, it is very common for their appetite to be affected and even dramatically reduce.

This can be distressing for the individual but also for those who are attempting to care for that person. Sometimes this leads to frustration in both individuals: the ill person who just does not want to be tempted with food and the carer who is trying their very hardest to feed them.

Food and nutrition should be discussed with a doctor or nurse or dietician as it is most important that trying to tempt someone to eat does not become a “battle ground” when someone is very poorly and especially towards the end of someone’s life. There may also be simple reasons why food has become unpalatable (e.g. Thrush infection in the mouth or gullet)  and this can be easily treated.

Food supplements are available on prescription from the NHS to alleviate this problem.

Contacts

Review date: June 2012