Читать книгу Pathy's Principles and Practice of Geriatric Medicine - Группа авторов - Страница 380

One of the social factors contributing to decreased food intake in the elderly is poverty, which is associated with an increased rate of hunger and food insecurity. Many older individuals have limited financial means, which makes it difficult to afford food of good nutritional quality. Community‐dwelling older women with lower neighbourhood socioeconomic status have been found to have a lower serum carotenoid concentration, correlated with higher mortality.⁸

Older people are more likely to live alone than young adults, with approximately 29.3% of non‐institutionalized older adults living alone.⁸ Social isolation and loneliness have been associated with decreased appetite and energy intake in the elderly. Elderly people tend to consume substantially more food (up to 50%) during a meal when eating in the company of friends than when eating alone. The simple measure of having older people eat in company rather than alone may be effective in increasing their energy intake. For institutionalized older adults, facilities fail to cater to ethnic food preferences, negatively affecting the desire for food.⁷⁸ Assisted living facilities have less regulated food and nutrition services compared to long‐term care. The nature and quality of food are mostly unknown, and assisted living facilities do not seem to provide the preventative health and nutrition services needed by older adults.⁸