Ensure as a meal replacement?!
Question:
Ensure as a meal replacement?
because patient had little appetite she started taking ensure, it has now become her "meals" and I am concerned. She had lost weight and now started to gain back slowly which is good, but constantly c/o stomach upset and nausea. The visiting nurse does not see anything wrong with feeding her ensure 4x a day. this can't be good. She eats a good dinner when I am with her, though it takes quite a bit of encouragement - shouldn;t the other caregivers try to get her to eat solid foods instead of so much ensure? and just use the ensure for a between meal snack-once or twice a day?
Answers:
If there's a medical necessity to continually use Ensure, then check with the doctor, but with out solid foods/ruffage. That is not good for the intestines. The intestines need to work otherwise they will stop.