He is always searching for food and is diabetic and has gastro and heart issues. He will literally eat anything. He’s made bizarre combinations of food. For example, cereal with milk and tuna fish. He’ll take food off of anyone's plate, and even after eating a meal, is looking to eat. He’s tried to drink hand sanitizer. He’s taken frozen food and tried to eat it and even tried eating an ice pack. I’ve stopped him from eating matches, and today he ate part of a wood stove firestarter. He’s tried eating raw meat I’ve left out to defrost, the list goes on.
My husband had FTD and I lead a support group for caregivers of those with FTD. This is a common experience. My husband could not walk through the kitchen without trying to eat a family size box of cookies. I suggest not leaving anything out on the counter. Keep everything in locked cabinets. Get child locks on everything. You're clearly at the stage where he has to be watched constantly. Consider room monitors so you can see what he is doing since it sounds like he could get into trouble when out of sight. Find a good aide for him if you can, to support both of you.
Good luck and I recommend you join an AFTD support group if you haven't already.
Been there/done that
The effect of some types of brain damage (not just Alzheimers) is insatiable appetite, sometimes for non-edible items. There is no satisfaction of the appetite and nothing you can do short of putting a lock on the refrigerator, kitchen cabinets or just keeping hazardous substances out of reach.
Don't feel you are being cruel to do this. It's an exasperating problem and it's not his fault!
Could be, if you can keep air popped unsalted popcorn out or raw veggies, he will eat those. No guarantees.
I don't know if there are any meds that can slow this type of behavior down??
This would be too much for me to deal with at home. How can you watch him 24/7? Either you need full time help or you may need to consider placing him somewhere.
Good luck.
FT Dementia is one type that's VERY difficult to handle at home, even if you were to hire in-home caregivers. Why? Because your home is not specifically designed FOR elders suffering from dementia and your DH is food obsessed, as many are, so you're now in a position to be locking up EVERYTHING. This includes bathroom items, kitchen items, cleaning items, personal hygiene items, everything you own must be under lock & key lest it go into his mouth. You need to consider placement for your husband as the only safe alternative for him. If money is an issue, you can apply for Medicaid but you may need to spend down your assets first; check with a Certified Elder Care Attorney about the guidelines and for advice in general.
We had a poster here for a long time named OldSailor who's wife Luz had FTD; he cared for her at home until she died in 2019 and had a heck of a time of things, too. He'd write about it a lot, so you may want to check out his posts for clarity on what you'll be facing with your DH:
https://www.agingcare.com/members/oldsailor
Even doctors/neurologists know little about FTD, unfortunately, as it presents in MANY different ways. I don't know that medication will help your DH with the food issues. I do know, however, that there is something called Chewlery that is 'chew jewelry' specifically made for folks who like to chew and tend to get into things they should NOT be chewing. Here is a link:
https://www.arktherapeutic.com/chewelry-for-adults-variety-pack/
You can order this Chewelry in 'toughness' levels, too, if DH is an aggressive chewer, which is very helpful! He can chew on this stuff all day long & maybe stay OUT of the kitchen a bit more!
Wishing you the best of luck with a very difficult situation.
Memory care or nursing home would not solve this problem. He will have even less supervision and will eat anything without anyone noticing it. When my hubby was in MC for two months, one of the residents there had this problem. He’d go outside and eat dirt. There was no one-on-one caregiver to stop him.
Keep him at home and hire a caregiver for him. Cheaper and safer.
See All Answers