Daily Care

Help clients to take nutritional enhancements or supplementary drinks provided by healthcare staff.

Small more frequent meals of favourite dishes on small plates may work better.

Try sweet rather than savoury food. Appetite for sweet things can remain after people lose their taste for savouries.

Try encouraging eating for pleasure and social participation rather than to build up strength.

Encourage carers to see that allowing their loved ones not to eat when they choose not to is not being neglectful. In fact, this may be the only aspect of their lives over which dying people feel they have control.

If the client is in the last few days of life and able to eat and/or drink (including thickened fluids) they should be supported to do so, unless they choose not to. They should be monitored for signs of choking or distress and this should be reported to the nursing team or GP.

Use the approaches outlined in this app to help to address causes of loss of appetite:

Check for mouth care problems: such as dry mouth, ill-fitting dentures, ulcers, oral thrush.

You may want to use the MUST Malnutrition Screening Tool in the Assessment and Management Toolkit to check for likelihood of malnutrition.

Contact the GP, District Nurse or Coordinator if there are any changes that cause concern.

Understanding loss of appetite

When someone is approaching the last few days or weeks of life they do not have the same nutritional need. Their energy needs become lower, and they can find it more difficult to digest food. Many people in the last days of life may lose interest in food. There are also cultural and religious variations – in some faiths, people may choose to fast as they approach death. 

Understanding reduced need for fluids

When someone is approaching the last few days or weeks of life their desire for fluids may become less. A dry mouth and tongue may result and it is important to monitor this regularly. See Mouth care

Find out more

Marie Curie: Hydration and Nutrition

Scottish Palliative Care Guidelines: Anorexia /Cachexia

Copyright information

Some elements of this section are summarised and adapted from Macmillan Foundations in Palliative Care (FIPC) materials 2020, published by Macmillan Cancer Support, 89 Albert Embankment, London SE1 7UQ, United Kingdom. © Copyright Macmillan Cancer Support 2020, produced by the Digital Health & Care Innovation Centre (DHI). Macmillan Cancer Support accepts no responsibility for the accuracy of the content, which is based on UK practice and guidelines at the date of UK publication; nor for the context in which the content is published; nor for any adaptations made for local use. The content as published in this app/website is solely the responsibility of the Digital Health & Care Innovation Centre, Inovo Building, 121 George St, Glasgow G1 1RD.