My mother-in-law lives alone and is "looked after" by her devoted 58 year old single son who lives about two miles away. My husband and I live 2 1/2 hours away. The boys are her only children and she has been twice widowed. She has had minor strokes in the past and the signs of dementia are increasing. She doesn't cook anything, clean anything, walk, shop, excercise, garden, do puzzles, read, watch tv or socialize with anyone --- other than the one son in the evening.
My question is what are her nutrional needs? The "devoted son" stocks her house with high sugar food, gallons of chocolate milk and ice cream and bowls of cheap, breakfast bars. He comes by and either fixes dinner or takes her out every day at about 5 pm. He then stays until about 10 or 11pm.
She is left completely on her own from late evening until 5pm every day. She won't even fix herself a bowl of cereal in the morning and will not look in the refrigerator for a sandwich. She "says" she knows how to use the microwave but no one has seen her do that for years. Other than munching on treats during the day, I think she only gets one meal a day, in the evening.
I would like her to see a geriatic specialist...but I'm the only one who thinks she needs to do anything different than what's she's doing.
Thank you
