Article Analysis: Is There Adequate Feeding Assistance By Tsang

2.1. Identify the level and type of support an individual requires when eating and drinking

My family didn’t eat at all for the first two weeks and we were starting to develop health problems, fortunately none of my family had to go to the hospital but this wouldn’t be the case in real life. According to Canales, Coffey, & Moore (2015) “Eating nutritious food is one of the major modifiable determinants of chronic disease”. Low income families are especially at risk for malnutrition because more often than not healthier foods are more expensive and do not last as long as less nutritious food. IN addition to malnutrition, families who live in food insecure households are also more at risk for chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and depression. “In order to eliminate persistent health inequities related to food insecurity, nurses and other health professionals need to direct efforts toward identifying food-insecure patients and increasing access to healthy food for low-income populations” (Canales, Coffey, & Moore, 2015). It is also important for nurses to be empathetic and remain non-judgmental towards low income families because difficulty feeding ones’ family can be embarrassing and hard for families to discuss with other people especially

* If a person is at risk of malnutrition, recording their dietary intake will show

Nutrition is essential for the whole being of the individual. The body needs nutrients to be healthy and fight off acute illnesses and infections. Mauk (2014) stated that “elderly clients may be at increased risk for poor nutrition due to the fact that they have multiple chronic illnesses… that can interfere with their

The non-profit organization that I chose for the semester project is Feeding America, a non-profit organization that consists of a network of food banks assisting food insecure people throughout the nation. What does a food insecure family look like in the United States? It is parents going without food in order to feed their children, it is families rationing food and skipping meals.

The person may not be hungry at the set times, not like the food or be able to feed themselves alone and not have the help to feed them or be rushed to finished.

In recent years, there has been research involving the causes and consequences of poor nutrition among the elderly. Researchers continually work to distinguish risk factors of inadequate nutrition; the factors of most concern are “poor appetite, functional limitations, limited income, and social isolation” (Lirette, Podovennikoff, Wismer, Tondu, Klatt, 2007). Individuals at highest risk are those who live at home with a lack of family support (Krondl, Coleman, Lau, 2008). The diets of many elderly people are often low in calories and lacking important nutrients. All of these factors can affect the health and quality of life in the older adult. Nutrition plays a significant role in the health of

Direct Observation during access to food. Settings varied but study was conducted over 28 days.

Do they have a history of medical problems and how old is the person there may be an underlining Biological condition they may have an issue with ingestion or digestion they may have a disability making it difficult to cut up or prepare their own food, can they chew and swallow effectively do they a food or fluid allergies that would limit their options? Sociocultural factors need to be considered also, is there any cultural or religious food and fluid requirements they need to abide by is there any allergies limiting food and fluid intake. These factors all need to be considering when assessing ability to maintain healthy nutrition and fluid intake. There are also other factors to consider such dependence or independence , do they have access to fresh food is this readily available can they access this themselves or do they have family members or carers to do this for them(Holland, 2008). Psychological factors may be an intellectual disability or memory problems also environmental factors such as the type of housing they live in the facilities for safe and suitable food preparation and storage. Offering politico economic resources to help them manage in hospital or at home so to insure they are aware of benefits that are available also finding out if their financial problems that could hinder recovery these are all things that this model support in person centred

By creating these small adjustments in the patient’s nutritional care, the patient’s independence and dignity are maintained. The patient, such as a stroke patient in rehabilitation, may also be reluctant to take an active role in their nutritional care so firm encouragement by the carer is needed. The presentation and availability of food and drink must also be assessed to deliver person-centred care (BAPEN REF). Patients may forego food if it looks unappetizing so it is important to serve meals that are visually appealing. Serving appetizing meals may also protect against malnutrition (BAPEN REF). Although protected mealtimes ensure that food and drink is given to every patient with minimal distraction, some patients may become hungry or thirsty in the hours between meals. Making food, like sandwiches or toast, and water available to patients may reduce the risk of malnutrition and dehydration and improve patients’ wellbeing (BAPEN REF). Good nutritional care achieved by person-centred practice means not only reducing risk of malnutrition and fluid imbalance but improving the patient’s quality of life,

The patient presents with dementia, poor posture (her chin close to her chest) and dislikes solids, there for has to be assisted to feed and chooses only to consume liquids. Her communication skills are also poor and doesn’t have the capacity to engage in a flowing conversation but has the ability to answer a question using the words ‘yes’ or ‘no’ or by saying individual words. I was given the task of feeding the patient at lunch time as she requires one to one support at meal times due to her lack of willingness to consume solids and fluids. It is extremely important to maintain good fluid intake to reduce the chance of dehydration which could contribute to increased confusion in a dementia patient. To prevent this,

In 2007, nearly six million senior citizens in America faced the threat of hunger. Today more than 9.3 million seniors over the age of 60 are struggling with hunger and the numbers are continually rising (Schilling, 2010). Many of our nation’s seniors live on limited incomes and have tremendous difficulty in making ends meet. Staples such as eggs, bread and milk costs are rapidly rising. Utility costs are soaring. Many seniors are finding themselves paying more for medical care and many are finding themselves in financial trouble and cannot keep up with the cost of living. Due to declining health issues, high medical bills greatly reduces their income and some often find themselves choosing between medication and food. Malnutrition is one of the greatest contributors to costly hospital stays and nursing home admissions. In 2014, there were over 4,800 seniors in Scioto County, Ohio over the age of 65 living below the poverty line and facing the threat of hunger (Scioto County Commissioners, 2016).

An individual experiences drastic decrease in appetite in the advance stages of dementia. Furthermore, their activity level decreases as well; therefore, they do not require large quantity of calorie intake (Byrd, 2004). However, they require good nutrition to maintain their life. It is unfortunate that in advance stages of dementia, it becomes very challenging for health care providers (HCPs) to maintain adequate intake for elderly population. As the disease progresses, swallowing impairments cause frequent aspiration pneumonia. What really matters is that HCPs take all other measures to maintain nutrition and hydration before jumping to the conclusion that the person needs ANH. Of course, the speech language pathologist gets involved throughout the procedure (Byrd, 2004). It is important to note that AHN is considered a medical intervention in the field of medicine. However, society as a whole does not believe that ANH is a medical intervention (Byrd, 2004). Therefore, some people believe that not providing ANH is comparable to neglect and inhuman regardless of the nature of disease process. On the other hand, “others see withholding AHN as a more humane or compassionate choice because the focus of care is placed on the person, not merely [food] intake or body weight” (Byrd, 2004). A study mentioned in Byrd (2004) highlights that the families of these patients prefers “noninvasive nutritional interventions

Alzheimer's is a progressive disease that destroys brain cells causing memory loss and behavioral problems that are severe enough to affect an individual’s quality of life. An Alzheimer patient has difficulty in recognizing family members and friends, misplacing things and even forgetting to eat and drink water. This leads us to believe that Alzheimer’s patients may often suffer from malnutrition. Malnutrition can have a serious impact on the symptoms of dementia and general well-being. Sufficient data assessing the relationship between nutritional status and Alzheimer’s diseases is not available in Sri Lankan scenario, the aims of this study was to assess the nutritional status and dietary intakes of Alzheimer’s patients living in Colombo

      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