A report sounds the alarm on nutrition issues affecting older people, especially dementia patients.
Between 20% and 45% of dementia patients suffer from undernutrition and lose weight within a year of onset. These people, often elderly, are particularly endangered by a sudden change in diet. In a report entitled “Nutrition and dementia”, the organization Alzheimer’s Disease International (ADI) on February 11 sounded the alarm on this subject which concerns 44 million people.
A trigger or a symptom?
Loss of weight and appetite is a phenomenon that occurs naturally with aging. According to the report, 1 in 10 elderly people at home suffer from it. In retirement homes, the number rises to 30%. In hospitals, this is the case for 7 out of 10 elderly people. In people with dementia, the question becomes particularly sensitive. These elderly patients are more fragile and prone to a serious fall. A diet that is too poor also has harmful effects on an already diseased brain, which may accelerate the progression of the disease. In its report, ADI even considers undernutrition as a trigger for certain forms of dementia. Other studies have described decreased appetite as an early symptom of illness.
Monitor the diet of the elderly
“For the elderly, one can dispute the idea that undernutrition is better for health than obesity, and it is particularly prevalent in people suffering from dementia”, explains Prof. Martin Prince, co-author of the report. “While weight loss in dementia is very common, and can be an intrinsic part of the disease, it could be avoided and we should be doing more to address it. For this, the report recommends several measures to be implemented to improve the nutrition of patients with dementia. “We believe that focusing on diet, nutrition and wellness is a positive approach to supporting demented patients and caregivers. This report also shows that there is a need to further study the potential role of nutrition in reducing the risk of developing dementia, ”summarizes Marc Wortmann, executive director of ADI.
Improving the diet of demented patients must go through the diet itself: nutritional standards must be defined. It is also necessary to put in place a modification of the external factors, in particular of the environment. ADI recommends adding weight monitoring, regular assessment of diet and eating behavior to patient care. Training for families and health professionals is therefore necessary, so that they become fully aware of the challenge of maintaining adequate nutrition.
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