Senior citizens face a variety of problems and difficulties when it comes to diet. Sometimes depression, medication and nutritional deficiencies can cause additional health concerns for seniors. Seniors can also experience unintentional weight loss, muscle atrophy and osteoporosis due to diet conditions. If you have a relative, neighbor or close friend that you believe has nutritional or diet problems, urge them to seek help.
Mental Conditions
Seniors may experience depression due to the loss of a spouse or mounting medical problems, which can directly impact their diet. A number of medical conditions can cause depression, such as lupus, cancer, heart disease, stroke, multiple sclerosis and dementia. A poor diet can also contribute to depression and make it worse. Including whole grains, fruits, vegetables and protein with each meal may help battle depression. Seniors may also become anorexic or suffer from various types of mental illness, such as dementia or Alzheimer's disease, and forget to eat.
Physical Difficulties
Sometimes seniors may not get proper nutrition due to eating difficulties, and they may not say anything out of shame or embarrassment. As you age, it can become more difficult to swallow certain foods or to drink certain types of liquids. The proper medical term for difficulty swallowing is dysphagia. A person may encounter this problem after a stroke, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, muscular dystrophy, chronic inflammation or narrowing of the esophagus. Certain medications or radiation treatments may also cause swallowing problems. This situation may be easily corrected by cutting food into smaller bits or using a food processor when needed. Swallowing difficulties should be addressed by a healthcare professional, as leaving this condition undiagnosed could lead to choking or death. Other physical difficulties seniors may face include difficulty lifting utensils to their mouths or having trouble chewing certain foods.
Nutritional Deficiencies
Whether a senior citizen's diet is poor due to physical difficulties, depression or other reasons, it is possible for a nutritional deficiency to develop when a food group is consistently ignored. The elderly are at great risk of developing a vitamin D deficiency, along with people who are obese and those who have limited sunlight exposure. Seniors with a poor diet also increase their risk of malnutrition and developing conditions such as osteoporosis.
Financial Difficulties
When seniors either retire from work, are forced to quit working or depend on social security to help them get by, bills can begin to mount, making day-to-day living difficult. Elderly citizens often live on a fixed income, and with the cost of living and medical expenses high, their budget for food shrinks to little or nothing. Special programs are available to these seniors that involve delivery of nutritious meals to ensure they are eating healthy, well-balanced meals.
