Nutritional Barriers in Geriatrics

There are many factors that contribute to weight loss and malnutrition in older adults and this is directly correlated with increased morbidity and mortality. We believe that Tarrant county has in place many programs that would be of benefit to our geriatric population in relation to their nutritional health. We first indicated the most important factors that contribute to the nutritional health in a geriatric population and then identified specific community programs and resources that could cater to improving each of these aspects. There are many factors that lend to alterations in nutritional health as patients age. Some of the factors discussed in this overview include socioeconomic factors, psychological factors, and physiological factors including oral and dental health, gastrointestinal health, and the frequent presence of multiple disease processes. We identified community resources to address each of these contributing factors including socioeconomic factors, psychological factors, and physiological factors including oral and dental health, gastrointestinal health, and the frequent presence of multiple disease processes. We concluded that many of these programs are easily accessible to every patient in the geriatric patient.