Nutrition Flashcards
Is the following statement true or false? Most elderly people are overweight, and so weight loss should be encouraged.
It’s false. Weight loss may be useful to address some functional problems that older people are experiencing, but in general weight loss in older people is a bad sign.
Is the following statement true or false? A person’s diet can impact on the effectiveness of medications.
It’s true. Various foods and drinks can adversely impact on drug function, preventing the drug from having its effect by increasing the risk of adverse drug reactions.
Is the following statement true or false? Laxatives are the simplest way of addressing constipation in older people.
It’s false. Using laxatives treats the symptom not the underlying problem and is associated with adverse events. The best way to manage constipation is to add bran to a person’s diet. Encouraging exercise is also useful and has the added benefit of improving a person’s functional capacity.
Is the following statement true or false? Age-related changes that impact on the sense of smell and taste can decrease nutrient impact and contribute to anorexia and sarcopenia.
It’s true. Decreased sense of smell can lead to decreased sense of taste and that can lead to a loss of appetite. Other problems such as decreased saliva production can lead to decreased food.
Is the following statement true or false? Older people have higher dietary protein requirements.
It’s true. Older people have higher dietary protein requirements than younger people.
What are some of the reasons people will experience poor nutrition when they are hospitalised?
- They can be physical: a person is unable to feed themselves or open food packaging; they may not have access to dentures.
- They can be psychological: the person may be depressed and not wanting to eat.
- They can be personal: the person doesn’t like the food that is on offer.
- They can be management related: the person may have tests or other activities scheduled at mealtimes.
What problems does eating assistance pose to people with dementia?
Excessive eating assistance can make people lose the ability to feed themselves-this is an example of “learned helplessness”. But people who are having trouble eating need assistance. We need to be sure that we provide the right amount of assistance to people-not too much nor too little. That’s a general rule that applies across all aspects of aged care, and in fact all healthcare in general
A person has lost 5 kg of body weight in the last year, without trying to lose weight. What does this indicate?
This level of weight loss is inappropriate and indicates that the person is developing frailty or has a significant underlying disease. An unintended 5 kg weight loss over 12 months is the threshold for the diagnosis of frailty
Is the following statement true or false? Older people have a greater sense of thirst than younger people.
It’s false. The sense of thirst in older people is not as strong as it is in younger people and so older people are at greater risk of developing dehydration. This risk is exacerbated by changes in kidney function that make it more difficult to retain water, and by problems like incontinence that may make people limit their water intake.
Is following statement true or false? People with dementia are at an increased risk of developing dehydration.
It’s true. Dementia is one of the risk factors for the development of dehydration in older people.
Is the following statement true or false? Age-related changes in the stomach are an important cause of nutritional problems in older people.
It’s false. Normal age-related changes in the stomach don’t have a significant impact on nutrition.
Is the following statement true or false? Swallowing fluids represents the greatest challenge to people with swallowing problems.
It’s true. Fluids do represent a significant problem to people with swallowing difficulties. The best way to handle this problem is to thicken the fluids.
