Importance of Geriatric Nutrition

In this article, we are going to be looking at the importance of geriatric nutrition.

Nutrition is defined as the science of food, nutrients and substances , their activities, interactions and balance in relation to health and disease process by which an individual ingest, digest, absorb, utilize and excrete substances.

Without wasting much of your time let us take a good look at the Advantages of geriatric aging.

 

Read Also: Health Maintenance Of The Elderly

 

Importance of Geriatric Nutrition In Aging Process

1. Aging is part of living. The choice of food of an individual has a far reaching implication on the aging process of such individual.
2. Human aging is becoming one of the biggest challenges that man faces continually, but with the help of adequate and good nutrition, such challenges can be tackled. Healthy nutrition is needed to increase the age of onset of chronic degenerative disease and to maintain healthy functional living in the elderly.
3. Nutritional deficiencies are common in the elderly due to factors such as reduced food intake, lack of variety in foods they eat, medications the deplete nutrients and create side effects, price of food rich in nutrients and the deplorable food choice available from the anorexia of aging due to hormones that are higher in elderly and leads suppressed hunger there by leading to malnutrition .
4. Notable changes due to declining nutrition include weigh loss and dehydration, loss of muscle mass, poor performance of daily living and poor oral health status. A good nutrition helps to correct or prevent all these notable changes.
5. Most medications used to treat disease common in the elderly have been shown to have the potential of creating nutrient deficiencies, for this reason the nutritional status of the elderly should be monitored especially when they are on drugs that can affect their nutritional status.
6. It is also noted that the immobility either in bed or on a chair contributes to negative nitrogen balance and increased protein demands that are associated with the requirements for healing wound pressure ulcers or bone fractures and for producing immune bodies when fighting infections. So it is important to provide enough dietary protein to maintain tissue integrity, muscle mass and immune function.
7. Achieving adequate fluid consumption in older adults is sometimes difficult because with advancing age, thirst decreases and voluntary fluid intake is impaired. It is important to maintain adequate hydration because water serves several purposes including maintenance of body temperature, a diluent for medications and a solvent for nutrients waste products and electrolytes.

We hope this information was helpful. Feel free to ask questions in the comment section.