The Case Study on Nutrition
The chosen stage for the case study is old age more specifically people from 60 to 70.
The elderly become less active, their metabolism slows, their energy requirement decreases as well as their ability to absorb and utilize some nutrients. Thus, they need to eat less but their nutrient requirements increase. Aging is often accompanied by loss of appetite, changes in taste and smell, general oral health decline and the reduced ability to swallow. For aging populations it is hard to shop for food and due to low income some older adults cannot access high quality food (Institute of Medicine, 2010, pp. 88-89).
Many elderly people suffer from atherosclerotic vascular disease. It is one of the most common diseases among older adults affected by high rates of cholesterol in blood. Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is one of the prevalent atherosclerotic syndromes affecting older adults. Approximately 8 to 12 million people in the US suffer from PAD (Hirsh, et. al., 2016).
The client is male, aged 68. He complains of pain and feeling cold in lower legs, constant weariness and heartache. He claims that he often needs to stop to have some rest and gain his breath while walking. The client often has high blood pressure. Sometimes he experiences memory impairment.
His height is 6 feet and his weight is 208.82 pounds. The percent over IBW is 22.29%. Body surface area of the client is 23.358 square feet. The client’s BMI is 28.3 which means that he is overweight.
The Full blood count test of the client has revealed high lymphocytes count (36%). Biochemical blood test has shown high levels of AST and ALT and high cholesterol level. LDL cholesterol level is 170 mg/dL. HDL cholesterol level is 28 mg/dL. Urine test has not revealed any deviations from norm.
During the clinical examination, it has been found that the client has severe subcutaneous fat expansion. He has dry and pale, cold skin of the lower limbs. There is almost no body hair on lower legs. Muscle hypotrophy and atrophy is absent. There is no perceptible pulsation of dorsalis pedis and tibialis posterior artery. Trophic disturbances are absent.
The typical breakfast of the client consists of eggs with roasted bacon and a cup of coffee. At lunch, he commonly eats red meat, fried potato and canned food. His dinner often consists of macaroni and cheese. The client’s diet considerably lacks fresh vegetables, cereals and dairy products. His sodium and animal fats intake is very high. The patient does not get enough vitamins, micro- and macroelements with food. The daily intake of foods of animal origin is high. It should be considerably reduced, as egg yolks and fatty meat are the main sources of cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein that are the major engines of atherosclerotic vascular disease. The daily intake of calories exceeds the norm, which causes overweight.
The common medications for treatment of PAD include antiplatelet medicines like aspirin to prevent thrombus formation, statins to reduce cholesterol levels in blood, medications to control blood …
