Malnutrition is when patients or people are not getting enough nutrients from their diets. Malnutrition occurs in all ages. This paper will focus more on the older adults. Oral care and promoting good nutrition will also be discussed. “Malnutrition is under assessed and under managed problem in the elderly population” (Elia et al., 2005) There are quite a few factors that contribute to malnutrition which are “economic status, physical disabilities, chronic disease, access to food sources, physiological changes.” (DeWit, O’Neill, 2014) Also oral health can contribute to malnutrition. How does oral health factor in on malnutrition? It effects your chewing capabilities, taste perception, and being able to swallow. The older adult is use to eating …show more content…
That particular elder could have outlived their spouses and their friends. Now they are lonely and have nobody to eat with or eating at certain places could bring back memories. They could then lose their appetite. “The most common cause of reduced food intake is the older adult’s loss of appetite.” (Chen et al., 2007; Stratton et al., 2003) “Research shows the older adult that are malnourished become depressed and have a higher infection rate.”(Chen et al., 2007; Kubrak and Jensen, 2007; Correia and Waitzberg, 2003) Older adults would rather eat something sweet rather than eat a nutritious meal. That can also be a factor in their malnutrition because it effects their oral health if they lose too many teeth. The elderly also has a decrease in in the taste and smell department. They have a decreased smell intake which leads to decreased appetite. If they have a physical limitation such as arthritis, the older adult is not going to want to cook a full course meal because they are in pain. They look to fast foods restaurants for their meals which in turn cause them to lose nutrients by eating high fat foods. Another factor will be lack of income. The older adults are …show more content…
They can prepare several of their favorite foods at one time so they will not have to cook every day. They can just warm the meal up when they become hungry. If the older adult is used to having friends and their spouse around and they are no longer living and that particular elder is lonely they can join a new church. They could also join the community center; the community center organizes places and things for the elderly to do. Sometimes they will have to be by themselves and they just go outside. They could eat dinner on the porch and take in the weather. They could enjoy the simple things in life and it won’t cost them a dime out of their fixed income. If they have a limited income or fixed income they can try Meals on wheels, SNAP food stamp program and food banks. (DeWit, O’Neill, 2014). They can also ask some of their younger relatives to prepare food for them and bring it over to them in bulk form so they can go a while without cooking or using their own money. They should keep nutritious snacks around at their home and also in their room if they live in a long term facility. The items that they can keep in their home or room are grapes, apples, bananas, unsalted peanuts and cashews, JELL-O. The food items listed won’t cut so deep in to their budget and it is also nutritious. The elder can also find a neighbor and go walking around the neighborhood a couple of times to get in some exercise. If they live in
lack of hunger. Thus with the help of researchers and psychologist we can look into it more
This paper will highlight several interventions that addressed the issue of food insecurity among the elderly population. Lastly, this paper will provide detail information on which intervention will be the best approach in increasing food intake and nourishment among the
Nutritionism is an ideology that believes that the nutrients in foods are the key to understanding them. Nutritionism believers are so focused on the nutrients that food contains that they forget about all other aspects of food. The problem is that consumers rely on packaging to tell them what nutrients a food provides, since nutrients cannot be obviously seen, and they rely on science to tell us what nutrients are good and which are “evil”.
Nutrition is the process of consuming food and utilizing the nutrients from the food eaten (“Nutrition.”). It is very important to have enough nutrition for a growing teenager as it helps to develop and strengthen the bones along with growth and development (“Adolescent and School Health.”). Nutrition is very vital for the growing body as it helps prevent certain diseases and helps give the proper development and nourishment (HAGIKALFA). There are multiple nutrients that help maintain development and nutrition such as carbohydrates, protein, fat, vitamins, minerals, and water. If there was a lack of nutrition in a growing teenager, the teenager will not be able to have enough nutrition to grow and they will be more prone to sickness and diseases (“Hunger and Malnutrition.”). A malnourished teenager will may end up having muscle weakness, fatigue, dizziness, fragile bones, tooth decay, and much more (“Hunger and Malnutrition.”).
== = Malnutrition is a dietary condition caused by a deficiency or excess of one or more essential nutrients in the diet. Malnutrition is characterised by a wide array of health problems, including extreme weight loss, stunted growth, weakened resistance to infection, and impairment of intellect. Severe cases of malnutrition can lead to death.
Nutrition in humans is a product that require to supply the human body to function, nutrients also helps to prevent any disease in human organs.
MUST is a five-step screening tool designed for healthcare professionals to identify adult patients who at risk of, or are malnourished. It includes guidelines on how to develop an effective treatment plan. The Malnutrition Advisory Group (MAG) in 2000 adapted and extended their community screening tool to include care homes and hospitals, in response to national concerns. (Department of Health, 2001). In 2003 MUST was designed by MAG and the British Association for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (BAPEN). It was piloted across many care settings, to target patients who may be at risk of malnutrition.
Elderly, 1991. American Journal of Public Health, 84(8), 1265. Retrieved from Academic Search Complete database.
The lack of knowledge and awareness can cause an increased risk for chronic diseases that can impact a patient’s way of life. There is also a correlation between nutrition and the oral cavity, which a poor diet can cause an increase risk for dental caries.
A number of factors influence the nutritional status of the elderly. First, several physiological changes impact elderly nutritional requirements. Changes in taste and smell may decrease an individual's appetite or desire for food. Gastro-intestinal motility decreases with age and may lead to constipation, decreased nutrient absorption, and a decrease in fat and protein absorption. Metabolism also slows with age; this results in a decrease of lean body mass and an increase in body fat (8). Lastly, bone mass decreases, leaving the elderly vulnerable to bone fractures from falls and osteoporosis.
Malnutrition is defined as the condition a body is in when it is not receiving enough vital nutrient. This is a problem in many American families because if the bodies of its victims remain in a vitamin or nutrient lacking state for too long, they could experience prolonged effects. The effects include stunted growth in children and underdevelopment, as well as physical or mental disability, and illness. The hardest hit families are those living in poverty, in these situations, starvation another form of malnutrition, is most common. According to abc news 15 million children in America are living in poverty. As many as 17 million children throughout the nation are living in households that are struggling with food insecurity. 4 million of these struggling families aren't eligible to receive federal food aid because their salaries exceed the national poverty limit. According to “Aspe” the national poverty limit for one person starts at approximately $11,490 and with each addition to a family another $4,020 is added, however this number varies slightly depending on ...
The patient may no longer be able to orally take in food, and the artificial means of feeding may worsen the patient’s quality of life. The concept of food cessation is often difficult for the patient’s friends and family to understand and accept, especially because food is essential to life, and eating is a sociocultural experience. Family must be reminded that to feed the patient may do more harm than good. However, until the time that oral intake stops, nurses must be providing other ways to increase the patient’s nutrient intake. The performance of symptom assessments and the development of plans of care should begin at the time of diagnosis and continue throughout the remainder of the patient’s life. These assessments and plans of care are both critical to preventing the onset of early malnutrition and to maintaining the patient’s quality of
Nutritional needs change throughout various stages of life. Nutrition is dependent on many other factors such as physiological, behavioral and social changes. With these changes occurring in humans it puts them at risk for many diseases when proper nutrition is not received. Let’s go ahead and take a look on what factors can increase our risk for disease.
When the topic of world hunger is broached, the majority of people’s minds will automatically equate the two words with an impossible-to-solve problem affecting only Africa. However, to make that connection is inaccurate, and ultimately damaging to the actual efforts being made towards eradicating hunger. There are more than 870 million individuals in the world who suffer from chronic undernourishment, with the majority of undernourished individuals residing in Asia or the Pacific. While Africa understandably rises to the forefront of the mind when hunger is discussed, the statistics prove that hunger permeates into a plethora of regions, and affects a wide range of countries, cultures, and age groups. Despite its wide reach, global hunger is a solvable problem. The fact that a solution has not yet been implemented speaks loudly to the lack of cooperation being exhibited throughout the world. There is more than enough food to end world hunger; it is merely a lack of proactivity and cooperation among those in power that continues to allow the problem to grow. Solving world hunger may seem to be a daunting task, but a solution is within reach as long as a more cohesive semblance of cooperation throughout the globe (including both developed and developing countries) is achieved. This cooperation would embrace the sharing of excess goods to countries in need of them, as well the establishment of sustainable agricultural systems in countries currently lacking them—goals which are only achievable through recognition of the problem and an increased involvement by the entire globe.
A term used for elders is aged, which is having reached a specific age (McKenzie & Pinger, 2015, p.273). Another term used for elders is aging, which means getting older. Some elders live in assisted-living facilities, which provides an alternative to long-term care in a nursing hoe. They also can live in retirement communities, which are areas that have been specifically developed for those in their retirement years (McKenzie & Pinger, 2015, p.288). For elders, health care is a major issue for them. Since they are older, they develop more health problems and that causes them to use the health care system