JULES, I know how mom feels. Stroke wiped away my appetite, too. Hunger pains were rare, so had little clue I was hungry. Maybe taste buds are off, creating a bland flavor, with even the best of foods. Mine are partly dead, or so it seems, then sometimes there is a metallic flavor (chocolate, various sweets, even spicey foods). Of course it's not the food, it's my dysfunctional taste buds. Some seem to work, but those on left side of tongue do not. Between taste buds and plain lack of appetite, I learned to eat to live. I ate little, but tried to consume healthy food.

Also, don't know if mom communicates, but I had a major problem biting inside of lips and cheek. Chewing, as well as, minor sluggishness in tongue, contributed to making eating literally bloody business, lol. I had sensation on my left side, just poor control. Don't know if mom deals with this, but just throwing those things out as contributing factors to her disinterest in food.

For months after my large cerebellar stroke each and every activity was troublesome, overwhelming, challenging, and just plain work. Even eating. If she eats little, pack her *little* with high quality calories. Keep available to her calorie rich drinks, like "boost". Her therapy may help her work up appetite, maybe plan eating for after therapy? Stroke patients are frustrated. We seem to complicate even simple activities, like eating, because strokes suck the life out of us, though usually not literally. They can extinguish a sparkling personality, not necessarily with depression. Emotionally, I sort of flatlined. Life had a bit of a surreal quality. It was all around me, so apparently life goes on....but my place in it, my participation, no longer seemed important, had little satisfaction, and required so. much. work. I lost my usual zest for life. Hard to believe, instead of depression, I dealt with my own lack of will to participte, because participation required lots of thought, clumsy attempts at family dinner, using my stupid walker, and being upright. I was so tired, I just wanted to sleep. Not work on my participation skills, lol. As I improved, the veil lifted a bit, I began to find my place, enjoy humor again, use my deficits as my daily challenges and embraced working on them. Didn't love it, or enjoy it, didn't get all sporty, lol. But I knew I would not improve unless I put the effort in. God bless.