Exam 12: Nutrition Through the Life Span: Later Adulthood

The largest federal food assistance program is:

The elderly are more likely to have medical conditions or to take medications that may compromise folate status.

Mrs. Wylie is a 78-year-old Caucasian woman who lives alone in a small, one-story home she and her husband purchased several years ago before he died. She lives on social security income and her deceased husband's corporate pension, and is financially secure. Though she is in relatively good health, she has been having increasing difficulty walking for the past several years, which has been attributed to peripheral vascular disease. She complains of weakness and pain in her legs and a loss of feeling in her fingers and feet. She also suffers from occasional constipation. She is happiest just doing her activities of daily living, such as preparing breakfast, lunch, and a late-afternoon snack, then relaxing in her living room until it is time for bed. She has a good relationship with her adult children, who have been discussing with her the possibility of hiring a visiting nurse as her mobility declines. Her children take turns visiting on Sundays, when they help with her shopping, laundry, and other tasks, but none live close enough to visit daily, and Mrs. Wylie sometimes goes a week without seeing another person. Lately, Mrs. Wylie has been cutting back on drinking water (or any beverages) to save trips to the bathroom. When mild dehydration was noted at a recent visit to the doctor, Mrs. Wylie told her doctor she would try to drink more often, but she is rarely thirsty. She takes seven different prescription and/or over-the-counter medications daily, including a proton pump inhibitor drug for long-standing GERD and a calcium supplement with vitamin D. The DRI committee recommends that adults aged 51 years and older obtain 2.4 micrograms of vitamin B₁₂ daily and that vitamin B₁₂-fortified foods (such as fortified cereals) or supplements be used to meet much of the DRI recommended intake. Mrs. Wylie should be placed on a vitamin B₁₂ supplement because:

Fat intakes should be moderate in the diets of most older adults because:

Which group of older adults is most likely to be poorly nourished?

Older adults can safely participate in aerobic activity and resistance training until age 85, when the risk of injury from activity is greater than its benefits. 

Resistance training in adults older than age 85 has been shown to:

Food restriction may extend the life-span by preventing:

Martin is a 71-year-old patient who has asked about how he can stay healthy as he gets older. An effective strategy to suggest to Martin might be to:

Discuss ways that older adults can stretch their food dollars.

Adults age 51 to 70 need _____ micrograms of vitamin D daily to prevent bone loss.

Supplements such as glucosamine and _____ may help to alleviate the pain of osteoarthritis, although additional research is needed.

Appropriate energy intake among older adults helps prevent obesity, diabetes, and related cardiovascular diseases such as atherosclerosis and hypertension and may influence the development of some forms of cancer.

Zinc intake is commonly low in older adults.

People living in poverty are typically unable to buy sufficient amounts of nourishing foods, unless they are skilled in food shopping and can make good choices.

An older adult who lives alone but who only has access to larger packages of food can best use food wisely and avoid waste by:

Discuss the possible roles of nutrition in the prevention of Alzheimer's disease.

Which activity is associated with the work of a food recovery program?

Older adults who live alone are at greater risk of malnourishment because they: