| CODE | NUR3116 | ||||||||
| TITLE | Nutrition in Old Age | ||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 03 - Years 2, 3, 4 in Modular Undergraduate Course | ||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 6 | ||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 6 | ||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Nursing | ||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | This study-unit will discuss the relationship between nutrition and ageing and how nurses can contribute to meet the nutritional needs of older adults. The influence of nutrition on the older adults' health will be highlighted, with special emphasis on the influence of eating habits on chronic diseases and the risk of malnutrition in old age. The effects of age-related changes and their relation to healthy eating and nutrition will be explained. Students will be guided to carry out a nutritional assessment as part of a comprehensive assessment. Moreover, students will have an opportunity to revise and update their knowledge of enteral and parenteral nutrition with particular focus on the care of older adults. Study-Unit Aims: This study-unit aims to provide undergraduate nurses with broad but in depth knowledge of all aspects of nutrition as related to older persons. It will discuss the various problems that older persons encounter and highlight ways of dealing with these problems in the most effective ways which are acceptable and adapted to the elderly persons and their needs. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - List the most common problems encountered by elderly persons; - Describe the most common medical conditions that elderly persons suffer from; - Outline the importance of screening in the elderly and the various screening tools that can be used; - Identify malnutrition, recognise its consequences and outline ways of preventing and dealing with malnutrition; and - Outline the indications for complications of and delivery of enteral and parenteral nutrition through the various routes and using the available equipment that is available locally. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Perform screening using various screening tools; - Supervise and monitor other nurses caring for people on enteral and parenteral nutrition; - Identify elderly persons who are malnourished or at risk of malnutrition; - Suggest ways of preventing and treating malnutrition; - Explain the basic care of elderly persons based on their conditions and other problems; - Identify elderly persons who need to be referred to other specialist persons for treatment of their problems; and - Identify their own training needs. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Main Texts: - World Health Organization. (2002). Keep fit for life: meeting the nutritional needs of older persons. World Health Organization. From :http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/42515/1/9241562102.pdf - Katsilambros, N., Dimosthenopoulos, C., Kontogianni, M. D., Manglara, E., & Poulia, K. A. (Eds.). (2011). Clinical nutrition in practice. John Wiley & Sons. Supplementary Readings: - Visvanathan, R. (2003). Under-nutrition in older people: a serious and growing global problem!. Journal of postgraduate medicine, 49(4), 352. - Rasheed, S., & Woods, R. T. (2013). Malnutrition and quality of life in older people: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Ageing research reviews, 12(2), 561-566. - Milne, A. C., Potter, J., Vivanti, A., & Avenell, A. (2009). Protein and energy supplementation in elderly people at risk from malnutrition. The Cochrane Library. |
||||||||
| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture, Practicum & Tutorial | ||||||||
| METHOD OF ASSESSMENT |
|
||||||||
| LECTURER/S | |||||||||
|
The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2025/6. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
|||||||||