Fortunately my father was always a healthy person who ate anything put in front of him. I think it's the main reason he survives until 92 in a care facility near me. In fact, I had to watch his weight gain at one point when he moved into a retirement home 4 years ago; he was splitting all his pants!

But in the 6 months prior to his death I've started waging a new battle; he had been losing weight for no apparent reason. My first approach was to give him more food than the standard nursing home portions. This worked for a while but again as he became more cognitively impaired (slowly losing the ability to chew and swallow) his weight started to fall — from a high of 67 kg upon admission to the care facility to a low of 60 kg. So I learned all the tricks (see above in Steps to Take) to urge him to chew and swallow — including removing his dentures so he could feel the food in his mouth. I bought him ice cream and puddings for snacks and soaked cake in milk so he could eat it. I stayed in close touch with the nursing staff so I was always aware of any wight or eating changes.