Question

a) Discuss the impact socialization has on eating for aging persons.

b) Apply this knowledge to the success of the Senior Nutrition Program. For example, describe the Senior Nutrition Program by identifying services provided, who is eligible, cost, and target audience.

c) Compare use of chronological age criteria as opposed to use of functional status for eligibility.

d) If you were to change the program’s criteria, what functional status measure would you recommend?

* Please, do not use handwriting, typing to read it easier and faster.

Answer 1

A) Socialization has a big impact on nutrition. Isolation of elderly people leads to malnutrition. Sometimes elderly can skip meals because of their inability to cook. These lead to various eating disorder. Not only for hunger, the Nutritious meal is essential to be physically, spiritually, psychologically, and cognitively healthy. Good relationship, social interaction, and the positive impact is necessary for overall being of the senior citizens.

As the age increases, the elder faces various issues such as loss of appetite, poor eating habits, health problems. The change of eating pattern due to loneliness, Depression, loss of vision and sense of smell, medications, loss of teeth, and mental issues like dementia results in health disorders.

B) Successful Senior Nutrition program targeted at the specific group of populations with the goal of nutritional education to the citizens and reduce the barrier of communication. This consist of totally six programmes every year and educate about various health topics. The food samples are healthy and inexpensive. It is free for all Hispanic elderly and fund of source costs $500 per year where 60% contributed by federal and the remaining 40% by the state. The targeted participants are 45 for whom 945 meals are served per year. The Nutrition program differs based on the ethnicity.

C) The Elderly Nutrition Program uses chronological age for eligibility criteria of 60years and older. Chronological age is one of the factors that affect the nutritional status of elders. But the older should be judged based on the functional abilities to perform the task. Thus the determination of the functional status of the elder to do a daily task is more indicative of health status of elder than the chronological age.

d)

• Implement the screening program for malnutrition especially elder with risk factors.
• Nutritional support for malnourished older and for food intolerated people.
• Provide frequent, high energy, high protein diet.
• Oral nutritional supplement should be included.
• Funding should be increased.