Common Health Problems of Older Adults Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Common Health Problems of Older Adults - Essay Example To overcome these issues, achieve and maintain high wellness levels, health promotion and illness prevention measures must be practiced. This paper will discuss the health issues associated with older adults and the suggested ways of overcoming them. Although the human body’s minimum nutritional requirements are generally consistent through different ages, several exceptions exist. For example, a common problem among older adults arises from the disruption in the ability to absorb, use and store calcium, vitamins D, C and A (Ignatavicius & Workman, 2013). Therefore, their dietary intake should essentially accommodate that requirement. Because of their reduced activity and metabolic rate, body weight may increase, which necessitates the intake of less calories. All these dietary and nutritional needs must be balanced to avoid the risk of problems related to nutrition. This problem is highlighted by the fact that as one ages, the ability to consume necessary nutrients is negatively affected by the failing ability to taste and smell food, often leading to the loss of desire to eat. For example, older adults can consume excess sugar or salt with the possible risk of getting obese (Ignatavicius & Workman, 2013). This calls for their carers to introduce them to balanced diets and healthy selections of food such as substituting herbs and spices with season foods. Another significant dietary problem is caused by the loss of teeth or wrongly fitted dentures, which may be a result of yet another dietary issue arising from inadequate intake of calcium. This becomes a problem because the older adults will avoid foods they cannot chew, overlooking their nutritional values. Unless properly guided and supervised by carers, older adults will tend to consume softer foods that may contain more calories and less roughage such as mashed potatoes and ice cream. The