Lecture 24: Older Adult Nutrition Part 2 Flashcards
What are geriatric patients?
elderly individuals who often require specialised medical care due to the natural aging process
What are the main focuses for geriatric patients?
- Prevention and treatment of malnutrition
- Prevention and treatment of low-intake dehydration
What is dehydration?
Water losses exceeding water replacement caused by either an inadequate intake of fluid, or excess loss (volume depletion), or both
Why is it important to know the cause of dehydration?
As this will inform your intervention
What does dehydration in older adults contribute to?
- Confusion
- Constipation
- UTIs
- Risk of falls
What are seven signs and symptoms of dehydration?
- Upper body weakness
- Speech difficulty
- Confusion
- Dry mucous membranes in nose and mouth
- Longitudinal tongue furrows
- Dry tongue
- Sunken appearance of eyes in their sockets
What physiological factors increase dehydration?
- Decreased thirst sensation
- Decreased concentrating ability of the kidneys
- Lower total body fluid stores
What psychological factors increase dehydration?
- Cognitive impairment
- Self-restriction (fear of incontinence)
What physical factors increase dehydration?
- Reduced dexterity
- Poor vision
- Poor motility
- Reliance on feeding assistance
What co-morbidities increase dehydration?
- Poorly controlled diabetes
- Dysphagia
- Early satiety
What environmental factors increase dehydration?
- Hospitalised/aged care
- Reliance on carers for fluid
What are examples of volume depletion?
- Diarrhoea
- Vomiting
- Hyperthermia
- Bleeding
- Diuretic Medications
Who should be considered at risk and encouraged to consume adequate amounts of fluids?
All older adults
- Everyone is considered at risk to prevent low-intake dehydration
What drinks should be given to older adults for hydration?
A range based on their preferences
- Doesn’t really matter what the fluid is, just to ensure they are maintaining hydration
What are the fluid recommendations for older adults?
Women = 1.6 Litres
Men = 2.0 Litres
What is the ICD?
International Classification of Disease
What is ICD-10-AM?
10 codes are used in hospitals to define morbidity statistics and get a good understanding of them
What does ICD-10-AM define malnutrition as?
BMI <18.5kg/m2 or unintentional weight loss of >5% with evidence of suboptimal intake resulting in subcutaneous fat loss and/or muscle wasting
What percent of older adults are malnourished or at risk globally?
1/4
What is the definition of unintentional weight loss?
- Not universally defined
- Weight loss of 5% or more of BW in the past 3-6 months
What are potential causes of unintentional weight loss?
- Underlying, undiagnosed disease or illness
- Protein-energy malnutrition
- Poverty
- Functional decline
What are signs you can notice that older adults are malnourished?
- Clothes are getting lose
- Jewellery is loose
- Belt has been tightened
- Dentures becoming loose
- Not enjoying favourite meals anymore
Malnutrition can cause increased…
- Infection risk
- Risk of falls
- Hospital stays
Malnutrition can lead to decreased?
- Strength
- Immunity
- Ability to do usual daily activities
- Quality of life
- Life expectancy
