The American Geriatrics Society Beers Criteria for potentially inappropriate medications use in older adults recommends caution with … Our mission is to Empower, Unite, and Advance every nurse, student, and educator. Loss of appetite can have many causes, including short-term infections, psychological or mental health conditions, cancers, and certain medications. Reasons for a Loss of Appetite. Appetite stimulants are medications that can increase appetite. Most people in the United States consume too much sodium, which affects blood pressure. It will give a better understanding on the need of meeting the daily nutritional requirements of the body. Our members represent more than 60 professional nursing specialties. 6. Assessment is the gathering and organizing of data in order to determine what is wrong with the patient. However, proper nutrition is crucial for people of all ages, so it is important to try and encourage those in your Care Home to follow a nutritious diet. Older people tend to be consistently less hungry than younger people, eat smaller meals, have fewer snacks between meals and also eat more slowly. You recently came across the term nursing intervention, which sounds like even more drama than the TV shows “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Intervention” combined!. Knowing the reason for a patient's decreased intake will help guide the nursing interventions. In some cases, you can also stimulate appetite with lifestyle changes. The first and most important thing to do is rule out serious health conditions, medication side effects, or dental problems as the cause of their loss of appetite. allnurses is a Nursing Career & Support site. If client lacks endurance, schedule rest periods before meals and open packages and cut up food for client. One or more factors are often behind it. A reduced appetite can be a natural part of ageing and is extremely common amongst the elderly. 8 Between age 20 and 80 years, there is on average, a decrease in energy intake of approximately 30%. A loss of appetite in the elderly doesn’t just happen for no reason. The more you look into nursing careers, the more you realize that a day in the life of a nurse is rarely boring. Currently, there are no medications approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for appetite stimulation in older adults.. But note that in the later-stages of Alzheimer's, if appetite loss is a problem, adding sugar to foods may encourage eating. NOTE: If client is unable to feed self, refer to Nursing Interventions and Rationales for Feeding Self-care deficit. Appetite and food intake often decline with ageing. If client has difficulty swallowing, refer to Nursing Interventions and Rationales for Impaired Swallowing. Nursing intervention should not be confused with the nursing assessment. Appetite stimulants are medications that can increase appetite. In some cases, a person might lose interest in food as a normal part of aging. Since 1997, allnurses is trusted by nurses around the globe. If an older adult is healthy, he or she should also have a healthy appetite. If these issues aren’t causing the loss of appetite, your best bet is to experiment with different ways to get your older adult to eat. Limit foods with high sodium and use less salt. Common appetite stimulant medications and their side effects.