Geriatric or Aging Process

Geriatric is also called the aging process, it is a natural phenomenon. The world’s population is early people due to increasing in life span and decreasing in the birth rate. India is not excepted to this demographic transition. It is shown that the proportion of Indians aged from 60 years and older will increase from 7.5% in 2010 to 11.1% to 2025. India had more geriatric people in 2010 nearly 91.6 million and the number of geriatric people is shown to reach nearly 158.7 million in 2025.
The aging process can change the nutritional status by decreased appetite and increased nutritional needs. In aged people, having a risk of nutritional deficiencies is very common and also can cause malnutrition, aging problems can be associated with a low intake of protein. aging is also associated with less intake of micronutrients such as vitamins and minerals. And overall micronutrients lead to universal nutritional deficiency.
Aged people are at the risk of malnutrition for many reasons such as physiological, functional changes, financially down, inadequate asses to cook foods, and inadequate intake of nutrients.
In India, the mean health problem facing by aged people are poor nutrition with medical problems, including non- communicable and communicable diseases. In the elderly, the nutrition and health are frequently neglected by the people. Therefore there malnutrition and mortality rates create various cycles. The scientific progress has reached the level where nutritional interventions play a role in the prevention of degenerative conditions of the elderly, improvement of quality of life, and impact on health care and resource. Timely intervention can stop weight loss in geriatric people at risk of undernourishment. For nutrition and dietary modification evaluation of nutritional status is important.
For maintaining good health for all aged group, a healthy body weight, diet, and their lifestyle are important but for aged people it is crucial. old age people are suffering from one or more chronic diseases such as respiratory disease, arthritis, stroke, depression, and dementia. These conditions may affect appetite, functional ability, etc… And those lead to altered food intake and impairment of nutritional status. Medication for this chronic illness can also have a major effect on the nutritional status by lack of appetite, vomiting, nausea, diarrhea, dry mouth, and reduced gastrointestinal motility
The major concern of geriatric nutrition is a well-balanced diet. Which provides enough nutrition to help delay the leading cause of death, heart diseases, cancer, and stroke.
Aged people are more prone to infection, injuries, physiological problems, degenerative issues, and emotionally down. There is an increased risk of morbidity, mortality, and disability. The common problem would be an infection, fluid and electrolyte balance, malnutrition, diabetics, hypertension, dizziness, blackouts, and falls, fracture and painful joints, immobility, incontinence, and retention, confessional states, dementia & neurodegenerative diseases, heart failure. At old age should be encouraged with nutrients needs including iron and micronutrients rich foods consumption of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and good hydration of at least 1000mL of fluids/days. Fat-free and low fat-free dairy products, legumes, poultry, fish at least once a week, and supervised medications.
Most elderly people are suffering from bone diseases, osteoporosis. To maintain bone-related issues nutrition could be an important source and also in the development of bone mass, prevention, and treatment of osteoporosis.