Assessment and management of nutrition in older people and its importance to health

Abstract

Abstract:Nutrition is an important element of health in the older population and affects the aging process. The prevalence of malnutrition is increasing in this population and is associated with a decline in: functional status, impaired muscle function, decreased bone mass, immune dysfunction, anemia, reduced cognitive function, poor wound healing, delayed recovery from surgery, higher hospital readmission rates, and mortality. Older people often have reduced appetite and energy expenditure, which, coupled with a decline in biological and physiological functions such as reduced lean body mass, changes in cytokine and hormonal level, and changes in fluid electrolyte regulation, delay gastric emptying and diminish senses of smell and taste. In addition pathologic changes of aging such as chronic diseases and psychological illness all play a role in the complex etiology of malnutrition in older people. Nutritional assessment is important to identify and treat patients at risk, the Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool being commonly used in clinical practice. Management requires a holistic approach, and underlying causes such as chronic illness, depression, medication and social isolation must be treated. Patients with physical or cognitive impairment require special care and attention. Oral supplements or enteral feeding should be considered in patients at high risk or in patients unable to meet daily requirements.

Prevention of falls, malnutrition and pressure ulcers among older persons - nursing staff's experiences of a structured preventive care process

“…This was frustrating to them, as they felt that this patient group, who were still living at home, could perhaps benefit most from preventive care. If inadequate diet and malnutrition could be avoided, it might be possible to prevent health decline and also reduce hospital admission rates (Ahmed & Haboubi 2010). Furthermore, it has been shown that those with risk for malnutrition benefit more from intervention than those rated as malnourished (Lee et al 2009), indicating that timeous actions in the community may help to reduce the high rate of undernutrition in nursing homes (Naseer et al 2015).…”

Recent progress in the use of functional foods for older adults: A narrative review

“…Satisfying the decreased needs for energy may pose some risk of nonbalancing mineral elements or vitamins. In such cases, it is necessary to change the proportions of consumed products, for example, high-fat content and sugar products should be replaced by skimmed dairy products, lean meat, as well as vegetables and fruits (Ahmed & Haboubi, 2010).…”

“…Aging is often associated with the decline of nutritional status in both hospitalized (Forster & Gariballa, 2005) and homebound older adults (Ahmed & Haboubi, 2010;Lee, Hwang, Artan, Jeong, & Lee, 2015;Leslie & Hankey, 2015). Despite various attempts to define the risk of underlying factors such as illness, improper nourishment, financial difficulties, and polytherapy, there is a lack of unambiguous standards to diagnose undernourishment, and the prevailing number of existing screening methods has no adequate specificity and sensitivity (Poggiano et al, 2017).…”

Umsetzung von ernährungsmedizinischen Leitlinien in Schwerpunktzentren für Alterstraumatologie – eine stichprobenartige Untersuchung zweier Kliniken

“…Mit dem Alter steigt auch das Risiko für Mangelernährung. Diese geht mit eingeschränkter Muskelfunktionalität, Verlust an Knochenmasse, Anfälligkeit des Immunsystems, Anämien, reduzierter kognitiver Funktion, verschlechterter Wundheilung, verzögerter Genesung nach Operation, längeren Krankenhausaufenthalten und letztendlich gesteigerter Mortalität einher [6]. Dabei ist anzumerken, dass dem Thema Mangelernährung gerade im klinischen Alltag zu wenig Beachtung geschenkt wird.…”