title: [Nutritional problems in old age].
abstract: Nutritional problems in the elderly are complex and individually diverse, and therefore a differentiated approach ist mandatory. Interactions of social, psychological and biological factors in the nutrition of the elderly are discussed in four clinical cases: problems of procurement and preparation of food in a patient with sensory aphasia and mild organic brain syndrome; problems of food intake and mastication in a patient with stroke; problems surrounding nutritional requirements and absorption of nutrients in a patient with osteoporosis, and problems relating to nutritional components in a patient with constipation. The clinical vignettes illustrate the difficulty of changing eating habits in elderly people. Nutritional policy for the aged involves a dilemma: on one hand, their survival attests to the essential adequacy of their life-long eating practices. On the other hand, the biological, psychological and social changes of old age appear to make some individually tailored adaptation of nutrition appropriate.
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging; D003677:Deficiency Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007408:Intestinal Absorption; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009748:Nutrition Disorders / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology; D009747:Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D009751:Nutritional Requirements; D010024:Osteoporosis / Q000150:complications / Q000378:metabolism
vernacular_title: Ernährungsprobleme im Alter.