Meeting the Nutritional Needs of Older Patients and Family Members

When copies of the print version of this month’s issue arrived in the office, AJN staff found different meanings in the Albert Anker painting (circa. 1895) that graces the cover. Is the man enjoying a cup of tea in peace and quiet, or is he isolated and lonely, perhaps sipping tea to stave off hunger because there isn’t much food in the house?

The artist’s intent may be open to interpretation, but we chose this cover because it suggests one of the many social, cognitive, physical, and economic factors that can affect the nutritional status of older adults: eating alone.

Many older adults are at risk.

In a March CE article, “Malnutrition in Older Adults,” registered dietitian Ann Reed Mangels, PhD, RD, FADA, summarizes the latest information on malnutrition in older adults, including risk factors, assessment tools, and practical ways in which nurses as well as family and friends can help to ensure good nutrition for elders in the community or in long-term care. Writes Mangels:

“Malnutrition diminishes quality of life, is a strong predictor of short-term mortality, and is associated with higher health care costs.”

[…]

2018-03-19T09:05:08-04:00March 19th, 2018|Nursing, Patients|0 Comments
Read More

Evidence-Based Interventions That Improve Maternal and Child Nutrition

On June 8, in London, presidents, prime ministers, businesspeople, and philanthropists came together to sign the Global Nutrition for Growth Compact. The event, hosted by the governments of Brazil and the U.K. and the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, resulted in commitments to accelerate progress toward improving nutrition for children and mothers around the globe.

In London's Hyde Park, activists laid a carpet of flower petals to represent the lives of children lost each year through malnutrition. Photo by Ismar Badzic via Flickr. In London’s Hyde Park, activists laid a carpet of flower petals to represent the lives of children lost each year through malnutrition. Photo by Ismar Badzic via Flickr.

Simultaneously, the Lancet published its second paper in a series on maternal and child nutrition. The authors of the study estimate that poor nutrition is the root cause of 45% of child deaths (3.1 million deaths among children under age five each year). 

The report builds on a similar report from 2008 and highlights the progress achieved since then. For example, the number of the world’s children who never grow to their potential height has dropped steadily over the past two decades, from more than 253 million in 1990 to 167 million in 2010.

But according to the new report, far more can still be done. The authors estimate that close to 15% of all deaths in children under five can be prevented, and at least a fifth of all stunting avoided, if […]

2016-11-21T13:07:17-05:00June 17th, 2013|Nursing|0 Comments
Read More

School Nurses: We Don’t Just Need Them for the Obvious Cases

Peggy McDaniel, BSN, RN, an occasional contributor to this blog, works as a clinical liaison support manager of infusion, and is currently based in Brisbane, Australia.

Sitting in the dark movie theatre, I hear a familiar high–pitched “beep, beep, beep.” The sound brings me to full attention, away from the action on the big screen and back to my “date,” a blond and very handsome five-year-old boy sitting beside me. I see him mouth the words, “I can’t breathe,” but he makes no sound.

Children at playground, Brisbane, Australia, 1939/Wikimedia Commons Children at playground, Brisbane, Australia, 1939/Wikimedia Commons

He’s not trying to be quiet for fellow moviegoers—he’s getting no air from his ventilator, as the alarm has indicated. Though his eyes are open wide and his nostrils flared with an oxygen-starved expression, his eyes still hold trust. He knows I can help him breathe, now—quickly, the Ambu bag is in my hand, squeezing breath into his immobile body, as I feel around in the dark for a disconnected vent circuit. (Of course, I had already silenced the alarm as quickly as possible, for the other kids and their parents in the theater during the lightly attended matinee.)

Such adventures out of the children’s hospital were a monthly occurrence. A child life therapist and a nurse would take medically fragile kids out into the community, usually with parents in attendance. These afternoons of fun gave the parents and kids hands-on experience before discharge.

And something […]

2016-11-21T13:08:27-05:00January 31st, 2013|Nursing|0 Comments
Read More

‘A True Art’: Strategies for Feeding Patients with Dementia

By Sylvia Foley, AJN senior editor

Feeding difficulties in people with dementia are common, but the way such difficulties manifest can vary widely, and there is no single, one-size-fits-all solution. Nurse researchers Chia-Chi Chang and Beverly L. Roberts open their April CE article, “Strategies for Feeding Patients with Dementia,” with some disturbing statistics that make clear the scope of the problem:

People with dementia constitute roughly 25% of hospital patients ages 65 and older and 47% of nursing home residents. And more than half of them lose some ability to feed themselves, which puts them at high risk for inadequate food intake and malnutrition. Patients who are unable to eat independently must rely on caregivers to assist them . . . Unfortunately, caregivers may be unable to identify the various types of feeding problems that accompany dementia or unaware of the feeding practices required to address them.

In an earlier literature review published in the Journal of Clinical Nursing, Chang and Roberts evaluated three tools used to assess feeding difficulties in people with dementia, then created a conceptual model depicting such difficulties, contributing factors, and outcomes. Now, in this CE article, the authors take their work […]

2016-11-21T13:13:37-05:00April 1st, 2011|nursing research|2 Comments
Read More

Comment ground rules

1. Please be respectful.
2. We moderate all comments.

Content disclaimer

Views expressed on the blog are solely those of the authors or persons quoted. They do not necessarily reflect AJN’s views or those of Wolters Kluwer Health/Lippincott Williams and Wilkins.
Go to Top