Essay On Malnutrition

Despite the vast research on nutrition and health, malnutrition is still a major fatality in this present day. Policymakers, social scientist and medical experts have expressed alarm about the growing problem. While most agree that the issue deserves attention, consensus dissolves around how to respond and resolve the problem. Malnourishment continues to be a primary health liability in developing nations such as Asia, sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America. It is globally the most significant risk factor for illness and death, predominantly with hundreds of millions of pregnant women

This assignment will discuss a trust adapted version of the Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST). It will demonstrate an understanding of theoretical knowledge used to develop the assessment tool. The assignment will focus on three components within the tool; discussing the reliability and validity when used in a clinical environment. A reflection of my own experience using the tool will be included and linked to aspects of reliability. Any issues with reliability will be identified and suggestions given on how they can be corrected to aid future use.

What is dementia? Dementia a neurologic condition characterized by the following cognitive defects; impaired memory, disturbed intellectual function, and inability to solve a problem (deWit O’Neill 2014). Dementia occurs in different stages in this paper we are going to be discussing late stage dementia, and the end stage. The effect that dementia has on a person’s nutritional status. Why is the dementia patient more at risk for malnutrition? Things we as health care providers can do to improve the person with dementias intake, and preventing malnutrition, and finally how nutrition effects the dementia patient during the final and end stages.

People who suffer from dementia may also be at risk of mal-nutrition. People with dementia rely on others to help them to organise their day to day life such as preparing their meals. People with dementia are at risk of mal-nutrition as they may not be physically able to provide themselves with a balanced diet, there may also be the issue that they are not able to remember whether they have eaten and therefore decide not to make themselves

More people are living much longer lives than in years past. People are very surprised to be living much longer lives than they thought they would. Health care has played a large part in patient longevity. There are many normal changes that come along with aging, however, because people are living longer these normal changes can become chronic problems. Common aging problems that can make the older adult a vulnerable population are reviewed in Gerontological Nursing (Tabloski, 2014) and can include nutritional needs, medication management, sleep changes, oral or mouth care, renal problems and musculoskeletal concerns. According to A Profile of Older Americans: 2013 (http://www.hhs.gov), there are a large amount

As a person ages, theirs body cannot perform the way it used to. This will cause many elderly people to loose their job or choose to go into retirement. Both of these options cause a loss in health care as well and a reduced or exterminated income. Here alone lies a reason that the elderly population is challenged. The elderly population also has a tendency to develop a chronic illness that can be life threatening if not treated or controlled properly. This means that need for health care treatments also increases. At least 40% of those over age 65 will have nutrition-related health problems requiring treatment or management (Gigante, 2012). It is important to realize that 10% of people over the age of 65 and will develop Alzheimer’s disease and 50% of those over the age of 85 will develop this disease (Gigante, 2012). More elderly African American men and women use government aid than white men and women. Therefore, this population will be vulnerable because of the lack of funding, proper health care and insurance.

References Shashidhar, H. (2016, March 10). Malnutrition. Retrieved September 27, 2016, from

Aging is inevitable, with age comes certain conditions, and diagnoses that affect healthy aging in Canadians. In Canada, and across the world, there are institutions that help care for people with these diagnoses. Nurses are one of the members of the health care team, and they help to try and reduce risks that can exist in aging Canadians. The purpose of this paper is to explore the risks of malnutrition in aging Canadians living in institutions who have vascular dementia.

Due to the loss of muscle mass, protein adequacy is also a problem in older adults because it is not advised to increase protein intake. Limited protein intake may result in vitamin A, C, D, calcium, iron, zinc, and other deficiencies (Grodner, 2012). Overall, Theresa’s small nutrient intake can result in many nutrient deficiencies.

Severe malnutrition could also mimic the symptoms of dementia. You would think it would be easy for a doctor to determine if a person is malnourished. Blood work would show dehydration or lack of nutrients needed in the body. The only way to rule out malnutrition is to look at vitamin B levels specifically. What if the doctor doesn’t check this? This condition which could easily be cured could be bypassed to a more severe condition that is not

Patient malnutrition is a very real and serious matter; it can lead to a worsening of the patient's

There are many factors that contribute to the vast differences in physical function in the aging adult. One of these factors is related to immunity. As we age our immunity progressively declines putting us at a high risk for disease and illness. While the decline is gradual it has the snowball effect. The elderly population is much more likely to be affected by these diseases and illnesses (Health, 2011). Disease is believed to accelerate aging biologically speaking (Spirduso, 2004).

Nutrition is an important aspect of health within all age groups. A nurse’s initial assessment is very important to a patient’s nutritional status because during an assessment, many findings can determine the nutritional status of an individual. For example, a simple examination of a patient’s overall appearance can determine whether the patient is malnourished, by evidence of decreased functional status, decreased bone mass, impaired muscle function, immune dysfunction, reduced cognitive function,

Because the immune system slows down with age, seniors are at higher risk for illness and disease, and they often recover at a slower pace if they do get sick or injured. Sometimes, the body's immune system may even become disoriented and start to attack itself. This is known as an autoimmune disorder. Some common autoimmune disorders include Celiac disease, Graves disease, Multiple Sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and lupus.

      Physiological changes and changes in nutritional requirements are not the only cause of elderly malnutrition.  Illness and physical limitations often affect nutritional status, as 19.7% of people over age 65 have at least one disability and 28.8% reported a limitation caused by a chronic condition (9).  For