Husband is losing his appetite: How to get him to eat more?

So sorry. I'm sure each person is different yet from what I know this is common. My Mom eats less and less. In the later stages, the body starts shutting down and doesn't need as much food. However, my Mom is on hospice. I've heard, people eat less because the body is shutting down, not the opposite.

Yet, I've found some things to help: offer anything they like - at this point, let them eat when and what they want. Try new foods and bright colors, things they enjoyed when a kid or younger. My Mom was fascinated with purple cabbage served at memory care (she never "ate purple before").

Hope you find some helpful ideas. Hugs.

Thank you Traci for your suggestions. I will try them. I think another reason he doesn't eat much is that he suffers from depression. That and he sleeps just about all day and night so he doesn't require much in the way of calories. I know he used to love peppermint chocolate chip ice cream so I will try that. At this point it's the calories in that count.

@ocdogmom As Traci said, loss of interest in food is normal as a person's body begins to shut down. Offering food is helpful to an extent, but eventually your loved one will just refuse to eat. It may be helpful to treat your husband's depression if his doctors think it may help.

In the meantime, there are a few things you can try. When my Grandma was in latter stages of Parkinson Disease with dementia, we had the best luck offering "bites" of food frequently - a plate of food, even in small quantities, seemed to overwhelm her.

A few years ago, while under long-term antibiotic treatment, I similarly lost my appetite and was losing a lot of weight. I found normal servings of food revolting, and many formerly favorite things did not taste right. So I ate a "few bites" every hour or so all day long, whatever was palatable enough at the moment.

What makes this especially difficult is that, for many of us, feeding our families is an act of love, and having them refuse to eat it feels like a rejection of ourselves. Please don't take it personally.
Hugs.

@sueinmn Thank you Sue for your insights. My husband has suffered from depression since before we met 45 years ago. He has been under the care of several psychiatrists and has been taking various antidepressants through the years and is still taking them. Until this dementia reared its ugly head he was doing well and was able to have a successful career and family life. I will try the small meals as you suggest. I think a full plate does sometimes turn him off of eating. I do feel bad when I do make something for him and he says he doesn't want it. If I love you I want to feed you. But if I leave it there in front of him he will usually try a few bites and sometimes eat most of it. I know it is the dementia that is causing his lack of appetite. I am ordering my groceries for the week and will include some things I know he likes but usually doesn't eat because of his diabetes. Thanks for the hugs.