90 yr old woman, with heart problem, depression, anxiety and diabetes which I keep under control with diet (the dr took her off all meds when she moved in with me, while living alone 10 yrs ago she was on meds because she ate wrong), except for some time now she has been midnight eating. She will raid the cookie jar or bread box like crazy. In front of people (anyone) she acts like she just can't eat, like a poor little thing, but she eats a lot when no one is looking. She weighs between 190-195 lbs. She barely eats 1000 calories a day that anyone sees, but eats a lot when no one is looking. I can hear her in the kitchen at night, I even saw her there, she is awake and looking for foods to bring back to her room. I have not approached her because my children think I will scare her and she will fall (again, she's broken bones in other falls). So we let this go, but she is gaining weight and it is affecting her. The dr said she does not take any pill that would cause this (she had the same thing when on sleeping pills). She naps a great deal during the day, and complains she doesn't sleep at night. She barely moves around (using her walker) during the day, she says her legs just won't move. (Although we had the PT here some months ago and she states that her legs are strong.) It seems she just doesn't want to move around during the day, but is quite capable moving at night. I'm worried about what the eating is doing to her, she has gained 20 lbs in 6 months and her blood sugar is too high. The dr wants me to control her carbs and salt intake, but how do I do that when most of what she eats I have nothing to do with? My son-in-law wants me to put a lock on the pantry, is that the only way? It's not that I have all this unhealthy food in my home, but I do have some cookies and chips, stuff she knows she should not be eating. Any suggestions?
Of course they are not all like this sometimes my mum just isnt hungry but then eats at night as shes diabetic I dont worry as at least shes eating.
Maybe put some healthy snacks on her nightstand, so she can stay in her room and eat them if she wakes up. Yogurt, cheese and crackers, some kind of low fat muffin...some fruit...something that she'd like but that won't elevate her blood sugars. That's what I'd try first.
Food is not just about nutrition and health, it is about pleasure and satisfaction, and mental health. There should be no food she absolutely has to give up -- it is a matter of carbs consumed, and that is usually a matter of portion size. It would be sad to be 90 years old and feel like you had to sneak the foods you like!
The weight gain and the total weight and the high blood sugars are a matter of health concern. I would say based on that that the doctor's new strategy is not working. She is not healthier now. So, time for a new strategy. Maybe eating a little "wrong" but being satisfied and eating less, and going back on a diabetes pill, would ultimately be healthier. You are just trying to avoid complications. There is more than one way to do that. Nobody hands out gold stars for not taking a pill or even insulin if that is what it takes to keep the blood sugars down. And even if she ate "perfectly" there are no guarantees that the blood sugars would stabilize at a good level. Giving up the pills was a good experiment. It failed. Try something else.
I wonder what would happen if she did not have an audience for every meal? If you told her the food was in the kitchen, help yourself, and how about sitting at that little table near the living room window?
She is depressed and you don't want to isolate her. She shouldn't eat every meal alone. But maybe having one meal to herself each day, where she controls how much and what she eats, and no one watches her, would feel empowering to her. You can provide her company and companionship at other times. When you leave the food in the kitchen for her, leave out the package of cookies and/or the bag of chips. Let her help herself, just as she does in her nightly kitchen raids.
Would this help? I don't know, but I think it would be worth a try for a few weeks.