{"id":230752,"date":"2020-12-09T23:43:25","date_gmt":"2020-12-09T23:43:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thesageoak.com\/?p=230752"},"modified":"2020-12-09T23:43:26","modified_gmt":"2020-12-09T23:43:26","slug":"seniors-can-be-malnourished-too-heres-how-to-avoid-this","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thesageoak.com\/2020\/12\/09\/seniors-can-be-malnourished-too-heres-how-to-avoid-this\/","title":{"rendered":"Seniors Can Be Malnourished Too \u2013 Here\u2019s How to Avoid This"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

When you hear the word \u2018malnutrition\u2019 you tend to think about starving kids in sub-Saharan Africa or famine in a third-world nation. You don\u2019t think about malnutrition in connection with your own loved one. It is difficult to envision an older adult from a prosperous background, a loving family being malnourished, much less someone from your own family. And yet, malnourishment and undernourishment are astonishingly common among older American adults. We look at the reasons for senior malnutrition as well as the ways in which Assisted Living facilities in Dallas deal effectively with the issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reasons for malnourishment in older adults.<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

According to experts, there are several reasons why seniors may eat less or may develop unhealthy eating patterns. The most obvious reason of this is advanced age itself. Older people often experience changes in their sense of smell and taste, and their appetites may become smaller with time. Also, older people typically have chronic illnesses that require regular medication which hamper the appetite. As the body ages, it processes and absorbs nutrients differently as well. Older people may have some difficulty in chewing, swallowing and so on. Plus, their health issues may restrict the type of food they can have, reducing the total number of calories they consume in a day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Older people may also have physical limitations and mobility issues that prevent them from getting out of the house to buy produce. Older people typically slow down and become less physically coordinated with age. Problems such as Parkinson\u2019s disease or arthritis not only make it difficult for older people to make and eat food, these conditions could also lead to accidents. So, difficulties with cooking food, stocking the kitchen and managing tableware also contribute to the problem. As a result, older people may fall out of the habit of preparing and eating nutritious and fresh meals. Over time cooking and eating become onerous chores, especially for older people who live alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And this brings us to yet another issue surrounding seniors \u2013 loneliness and social isolation. Many older adults don\u2019t see the point in making the effort to eat properly when they are by themselves. The anxieties of living alone also mean that food simply seems uninteresting and less of a priority now. If a senior has recently lost their partner of many years, the grief of the loss itself could mean that they lose interest in cooking and eating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then there are other problems that come with aging, such as cognitive decline, forgetfulness and behavioral changes that also contribute to the problem of senior malnourishment or undernourishment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statistics are startling:<\/p>\n\n\n\n