Gero ch. 10 Flashcards
Age-related changes involving nutrition
- Wear and tear of teeth
- Increased risk for GERD
- Decreased motility leads to early satiety
- Decreased ability to absorb nutrients
- Decreased amount of taste buds
- Delayed gastric emptying time leads to digestion of food taking longer
- Decreased saliva production
Nutrition
- Is a factor in preventing, delaying, and managing chronic illnesses
- Nutrition has the ability to increase your lifespan
- We need a balance of essential nutrients (carbs, fats, protein, vitamins, minerals, and water)
- My Plate for the older adult (recommendations)
- DASH
- Older adults typically need fewer calories because they are not as active but they still need the same or higher levels of nutrients for optimal wellness
nutrients
<10% Saturated Fat
45-65% carbs
10-35% protein (older adult might need more)
25g Fiber/daily (what can the pt eat to get fiber)
Vitamins
obesity
- associated with increased health care costs, functional impairments, disability, chronic disease, and nursing home admission
- major risk factor for most common disabling conditions, such as osteoarthritis, atherosclerosis, diabetes, and stroke
fats
- limit intake of saturated fat and trans fatty acids
- high-fat diets cause obesity and increase the risk of heart disease and cancer
protein
- along with vitamin D and calcium, it prevents bone loss and maintain existing bone density, thereby reducing and risk of falls and fractures
- inadequate intake contributes to poor nutritional status, such as reduced muscle mass, strength, and function, and increased motility
fiber
- Patients should ensure they drink plenty of fluids with increased fiber diets. If the pt does not take in enough fiber and fluid they are at risk for constipation. Food sources of fiber: raw fruits and veggies, and unrefined cereals
- insufficient fluids also lead to constipation
vitamins and minerals
- Vitamin B12 links with anti-aging
- older adults should increase their intake of the crystalline form of vitamin B12 from fortified foods such as whole-grain breakfast cereals
- other food sources include salmon, tuna, grass-fed beef, sardines, eggs, and cottage cheese
- vitamin D is good for preventing osteoporosis and reducing the risk of fracture
Proton pump inhibitors
increases risk of vitamin B12 deficiency
Older adults who consume five serving of fruits and vegetables
- they have to obtain adequate intake of vitamins A, C, and E and also potassium
malnutrition
- geriatric syndrome; too little or too much energy, protein, and nutrients, which can cause adverse effects on a person’s body and its function and clinical outcomes
- occurs when a person has an imbalance between the nutrients they need and those that they receive and can result from overnutrition and undernutrition
characteristics of malnutrition
- insufficient energy intake
- weight loss
- loss of muscle mass
- loss of subcutaneous fat
- localized or generalized fluid accumulation that may mask weight loss
- diminished functional status as measured by handgrip strength
consequences of malnutrition
- infections
- pressure injuries
- anemia
- hypotension
- impaired cognition
- sarcopenia
- hip fractures
patients that are malnourished are twice as likely to develop pressure injuries and three times as likely to have infections
older adults who are admitted to the hospital with malnutrition are more likely to have longer hospital stays and die before discharge
Factor affecting nutrition
- lifelong eating habits
- socialization
- medications
- dysphagia
socialization
We all like to go out to eat and enjoy others company.
- If you have a big family or a lot of close friends you might look forward to meal time.
- If you have a lack of support and live alone you might not have the desire to cook or eat.
- If the pt has chronic illness or on certain medication it can alter their desire to eat as well.