Nutrition in the Geriatric Patient Populations
Nutrition is integral to human development and wellness. In geriatric populations, good nutrition provides a better guarantee of freedom from hospital visitation and any other compromise to health and safety. In this group, nutritional deficits are apparent and are attributed to senility. Common nutritional deficits among older adults include Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12, folate, vitamin D, iron, calcium, and iodine, among others. Whenever these deficiencies occur, disease manifestations corresponding to the deficiency follow (Norman et al., 2021).
Several deficits often follow nutritional deficiency in older adults. The most commonly reported functional deficits proceeding nutrition deficient states include a decline in cognitive functionalities, attributed to folate and vitamin B12 deficiencies, impaired absorption as a result of folate deficiency, and impaired healing due to vitamin C deficiency. Anemia due to iron deficiency and bone and muscle wasting due to vitamin D deficiency are other common findings in the geriatric population.
Comprehensive management of older adults integrates all aspects of their physical and mental wellness, including their nutritional health. Healthcare professionals can take several measures to resolve these deficiencies. The first step is supplementation. In geriatric health, nutritional supplementation is the mainstay modality of managing apparent nutritional deficiencies. In this respect, healthcare professionals play a role in assessing and determining the specific nutritional deficit to be managed using nutritional supplementation. The second step is to screen for nutritional deficits and risk status. This is important since some patients may be at high risk for specific nutritional deficits due to their health factors. Another step is dietary fortification with common nutrients. In this respect, patients can be referred to a nutritionist to help them develop a balanced diet (Kaur et al., 2019). These strategies may prevent or lower the chances of nutritional deficit development among older adults.
References
Kaur, D., Rasane, P., Singh, J., Kaur, S., Kumar, V., Mahato, D. K., Dey, A., Dhawan, K., & Kumar, S. (2019). Nutritional interventions for elderly and considerations for the development of Geriatric Foods. Current Aging Science, 12(1), 15–27. https://doi.org/10.2174/1874609812666190521110548
Norman, K., Haß, U., & Pirlich, M. (2021). Malnutrition in older adults—recent advances and remaining challenges. Nutrients, 13(8), 2764. https://doi.org/10.3390/
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Nutritional assessments are significant for the geriatric patient populations. Many diagnoses can be associated with nutritional deficiencies including bone disorders, anemia, and neuropathy.
Nutrition in the Geriatric Patient Populations
What nutritional deficits are most common in the geriatric population? If nutrition is a concern, what deficits are most likely to be present? What actions or orders can the provider take to resolve these deficiencies?