If you're the caregiver for a loved one with Alzheimer's disease, you may find meeting their nutritional needs to be one of your biggest challenges. It isn't that Alzheimer's patients have specific dietary needs – as long as they're physically healthy, they need about the same amount of calories and the same types of nutrients as anyone their age. The problem is that Alzheimer's patients can be difficult to feed. They may suffer from loss of appetite or an inability to sit still long enough to eat.