A trip to the grocery store might yield a shopping basket filled with milk, eggs, a couple of fruits and vegetables and sandwich fixings for the upcoming week.
However the contents of that basket turn out to be quite different when a person only has a ride to the supermarket once a week, is tired of cooking for one and can only taste food when a tablespoon of salt is lumped on-top.
A recent Statistics Canada study revealed about one-third of Canadians 65 years of age and older are at risk of malnutrition. The survey of more than 15,000 people cited a number of contributing factors including physiological changes that come along with age.
“The taste buds and sense of smell decline, digestion slows down, physical immobility or inability to feed themselves – that can limit their ability to acquire, prepare and eat foods,” said Lori Jack, registered nurse with the St. Albert and Sturgeon Primary Care Network (PCN).
The sensitivity of taste buds, nerve endings in the nose and production of saliva decrease after age 60, which can reduce the enjoyment of eating. Poor oral hygiene and ill-fitting dentures make it difficult to chew and swallow food.
Diseases and medications may also interfere with ingestion and digestion of food.
“If dementia and cognitive impairment come into play, then they often forget how to use the stove or use the microwave,” said Jack, who works with older people in the PCN’s Healthy Aging program.
She added undernourishment is the product of a vicious cycle that might begin with physical constraints then leads to social isolation, depression, further fatigue and lack of motivation to prepare and eat healthy meals.
In the study, eating fewer than two servings of fruits and vegetables per day and skipping meals “almost every day” were driving factors of malnutrition risk. Characteristics of the physical and social environments – accessibility to a grocery store, walk-able neighborhoods, involvement in clubs and church groups – also impacted undernourishment, about half of the people who lived alone were at nutritional risk.
But some factors, noted Jack, are invented and not real.
“Because of the era in which they grew up, a lot of older people are more frugal. Even if they do have the monies, they don’t perceive that they do, so they’re constantly saving.”
The price of convenience foods may be appealing to older people, but low cost can translate to low nutritional value.
“They might not buy a sufficient amount of food and it also certainly limits the (food) choices they make,” added Jack.
Undernourishment in seniors can be hard to spot, especially since there is can be a fine line between symptoms of aging and those of malnutrition, explained Jack.
Red flags for family members and health care providers are sustained weight loss and a change in eating habits. Malnutrition can result in a weakened immune system, poor wound healing and muscle weakness, which can lead to falls and fractures.
Vitamin B12, found naturally in animal products including fish, meat, poultry, eggs and milk, is a common nutrient older people lack, added Jack. B12 is important for memory, cognition and red blood cell formation.
The Mayo Clinic recommends preventing undernourishment in seniors by encouraging them to eat different types of nutrient rich foods and spicing up bland dishes with lemon juice, herbs and different seasonings.
Making meals social events with friends and family will encourage eating and food preparation. Keeping your physician, dentist, pharmacist and other health care providers in the loop will also decrease the likelihood of malnutrition.
