Nutritional habits in the elderly

Abstract

__________________________________________________________________________________________Introduction: Aging is accompanied by several physiological and psychological changes in the organism of an individual (e.g., decreased sense of taste and smell, disruption of satiety, depression), which affect the nutritional intake. Purpose: The purpose of this retrospective study is to highlight the nutritional habits of elderly people. Materials and methods: Extensive review of the recent literature in electronic databases (Pub med, Google scholar) and journals. Exclusion criterion for the articles was the language than the Greek and English. Results: The increase life expectancy is important to be accompanied by physical and mental health, quality of life and, where possible, from participation in social, economic, cultural and spiritual life. Adopting healthy dietary patterns, combined with daily physical activity, and factors such as avoiding smoking, could help considerably in reaching these goals. The physical and psychological changes occurring during aging may adversely affect nutritional status. Instead, a proper diet can positively influence the physical and emotional state of elderly people. Conclusions: Diet and generally nutrition habits of the elderly play an important role in their health.

Leisure Activity in the Third Age

“…The participation of the elderly in all social activities strengthens the perception that elderly society composed of active citizens who still have much to offer to society [5,9]. The contribution of leisure activities to promoting health of the elderly is necessary and important [14].…”

“…improving in that way their mood, cognitive function, enhancing their psychology and their quality of life in general [18].…”

“…The attitude of a leisure person has a very significant and positive impact both on the degree of leisure participation and on the level of satisfaction from the leisure participation. The satisfaction of recreation contributes more than the satisfaction of participation to the general satisfaction of the elderly [2,5]. A study, in which 137 people aged over 60 participated, investigated the correlation between leisure and quality of life by using path analysis.…”

“…As people get older, they lose their interest about the world, and they are isolated to themselves [4]. The outside world becomes threatening and inhospitable for the elderly, resulting in being indifferent to what is happening in the outside world [2,5]. In recent years, efforts have been made to seek better conditions for the elderly in order to be able to share many social and cultural activities [5].…”

“…The outside world becomes threatening and inhospitable for the elderly, resulting in being indifferent to what is happening in the outside world [2,5]. In recent years, efforts have been made to seek better conditions for the elderly in order to be able to share many social and cultural activities [5]. October 1 st has been established as the World Day of the Elderly, to raise public awareness about the problems and rights of this particular population [6].…”