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Introduction
- a brief paragraph that tells you an overview of what geriatric
is. It also tells you how and why it is so important to understand the
nutritional assessment for elderly population. If you have any question
or comments on any information or on the web site, please E-mail me by
clicking the letter icon here. 
Aging
and Geriatrics - I will tell you some possible physiological,
psychological, social, and economical changes when one ages. Since elderly
population is more vulnerable to diseases, I will also mention some of
the common diseases in the geriatric population.
Diet
and Nutrition in Aging - This section contains plenty of information
on what are the nutrients that related with aging. Please also check out
the information on Recommended Dietary Allowence
for geriatric population.
Dietary
Recommendations for Seniors - This section gives lots of recommendations
and suggestions for elderly population in preventing and fighting with
age related dieases.
Conclusion
- In this section, I am going to tell you some of my suggestion
in relation of nutritional and geriatric assessment.
Links
- More links related with nutritional and geriatrics
assessment..
Aging is a natural process which affects each of us in an unique manner and at different rates. Older adults today live longer and lead more productive lives due to improvements in lifestyle and health care. Geriatrics is defined as the medical study of physiological and pathological of old age. With age, many older adults may experience a diminished ability to perform routine activities of daily living due to multiple, complex physical, psychological, and psychosocial problems. To help the frail geriatric population or those with multiple interacting problems, the understanding of how to obtain enough and right nutrients is the essential way to assess an older person's medical, psychosocial and functional capabilities and limitations.
Nutrition is important through all life stages - from childhood to late adulthood. Upon aging, a balanced and varied eating pattern remains important, but one's nutritional needs change. This is especially true if someone takes medications that may impact one's appetite and vitamin and mineral needs. Also, the risks for nutrition-related diseases such as heart disease, the bone diseases osteoporosis, and diabetes increase as one's age.
It is useful to acknowledge what physiological differences do occur, and examine their importance. There are many changes in appearance and function that are observable and measurable with age; the wrinkling skin, graying, thinning hair and slower gait. Vision grow less acute (many wear glasses), audition diminished, stamina and strength decline - the muscle mass is less, and what remains may be visibly flabby, fat tissue increases. The skeletal frame appears and becomes smaller, the person is shorter with age and finger joints have enlarged. Men and Women aged 45-79 have a greater prevalence and severity of periodontal problems than the average for all adults 18-79. Average number of decayed, missing, or filled teeth increases with age not so easily.
Here are some changes when one ages:
Functional changes:
As the 20th century draws to a close, concerns about adult nutrition differ significantly from those of earlier years. Prior to World War II, Americans' main nutritional problems stemmed from a lack of sufficient food or variety of foods. Nutrition scientists of that era focused on defining essential nutrients, primarily vitamins, in order to outline the minimum food intake necessary for good health.
As American society became more affluent, however, nutritional concerns changed from the effects of too little food or nutrients to an overabundance of food or certain nutrients. Epidemiological and laboratory studies demonstrated a link between dietary excesses and chronic diseases such as coronary heart disease and cancer. These findings led to the development of dietary recommendations intended to reduce Americans' risk of chronic disease.
If you would like to know more about diet and nutrition,
please click
Dietary Recommendations for Seniors
Modern dietary recommendations focus on ensuring an adequate intake of nutrients such as carbohydrates and fiber, while moderating others such as dietary fat which may be linked to the development of chronic disease. The recommendations are largely summed up in Nutrition and Your Health: Dietary Guidelines for Americans. This publication was first developed more than a decade ago by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Department of Health and Human Services for use in consumer nutrition education efforts with healthy Americans age two years and older. The fourth edition issued in December 1995 advises:
The demand for information on nutrition and age accelerates for a variety of reasons: in a general way as a response to the increased awareness related to physical fitness; in particular, to the significant increase in the numbers of older persons, more specifically in response to the multiplication of programs for and with older persons; as public acknowledgement and recognition of the older American grow and as the academic area of gerontology widens and deepens its impact across the country.
It would be pleasing to be able to report that all the nutritional and aging facts are all understood. However, the reality is the lack of enough knowledge related to nutrition as a science, and especially to nutrition and age; the reality is some confusion and honest differences of opinion which require resolution; the reality is the resurgence of interest in nutrition and the potential for food in health maintenance and prevention of illness. There is no simple answer to pressing concerns about food and aging. Hopefully this website will present the significant data relevant to nutrition in the later years. It will also identify urgent questions which remain to research and will suggest what current information can be applied to the benefit of the older persons today.
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Last updated on 5/19/97
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