Výživa a jej význam v liečebno-preventívnej starostlivosti o seniorov
Nutrition and its Importance in Therapeutic and Preventive Care for the Elderly

Summary/Abstract: Objectives: Nutrition is an important part of non-pharmacological interventions in the treatment of the elderly and geriatric patients. It is also one of the important areas of primary prevention. The aim of the paper is to point out its benefits in the treatment of diseases and geriatric syndromes. Present the most common ways of application of nutrition in health and social care facilities. Point out the role of the nurse in assessing the nutritional status of the senior and its administration. To find out the possibilities of cooperation with other team members in institutional health and social care facilities. Material and methods: We used methodological triangulation and a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods to collect data. A nonstandardized questionnaire was first administered. After its evaluation, we carried out a narrative review and a semi-structured interview. We used descriptive, inductive statistics and comparison to process the results. The research set for the questionnaire consisted of nurses working in institutional health and social care facilities. The total number was 226. 24 nurses took part in the semi-structured interview. The last file was electronic and printed documents. Results: Analyzing the data, we found that nurses consider nutrition to be an important part of non-pharmacological treatment of the elderly. The most common interventions included the administration of food orally and, in the case of indication, also enterally. The nurses obtain data on the nutritional history of the senior and carry out education. More often, education is implemented in social services facilities. The results of the interview and narrative review showed that nutrition is important in the treatment of geriatric syndromes, but also acute diseases and reduces the risk of complications after surgery. Conclusion: Through research, we have pointed out current nutrition strategies, which are important to adhere to, especially in community care for the elderly. Good nutritional status reduces the risk of complications of chronic diseases and also affects the quality of life of seniors.

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