| |
| |
![]() |
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
SINGAPORE : Two years ago, Mr Lee Yeow Keong was hardly more than skin and bones.
Suffering from malnutrition and mild dementia, the 70-year-old bachelor, who lived alone, got by with food given to him by kind-hearted neighbours or social workers.
While many elderly people often have no idea what nutrition is, Mr Lee understood the importance of having healthy and balanced meals. But with his meagre takings of $25 a day from his part-time jobs at bookstores and newsstands, he could not afford to eat well.
Speaking to Today in Mandarin, he said: "I knew that it was important for old people to eat nourishing food but by the time I paid for other expenses like rent, there wasn't much money left for buying nourishing food."
Despite living in a first world country, Mr Lee is not the only elderly person in Singapore suffering from malnutrition.
With the number of elderly people steadily increasing in Singapore, geriatric malnutrition is on the rise too.
In 2001, 25 percent of patients aged 61 years and above at Tan Tock Seng Hospital were found to suffer from malnutrition.
Geriatric malnutrition can be attributed to changes in lifestyles and habits, medical, social or economic factors, as is the case with Mr Lee.
Ms Anna Jacobs, director of Food and Nutrition Specialists Pte Ltd, said: "The elderly are particularly prone to malnutrition because they may experience a decreased sense of taste and smell, loneliness, physical and mental handicaps, immobility and chronic illnesses that lead them to consume an inadequate nutritional diet."
Another factor contributing to the rising geriatric malnutrition phenomena is the traditional perceptions towards food that some elderly folks continue to have.
Ms Jacobs said: "Many of the elderly believe that some foods are 'cooling' or 'heaty'. In their search for food that does not disturb the yin-yang balance, many stop or reduce consumption of certain foods or avoid an entire food group."
While it is important for the elderly to be comfortable with their food choices, they should also be provided with nutritious options in a form that they will consume, she said.
According to Dr Stephanie Chee, a geriatrician and healthcare management consultant with Geylang and Toa Payoh Senior Citizen's Health Care Centres, it is relatively easy to spot a malnourished elderly individual.
"You can determine whether an elderly is malnourished by doing some blood tests, but usually you'll know by looking at the person," she said. An example would be Mr Lee, who, by a twist of fate, was referred to Geylang Senior Citizen's Health Care Centre by a social worker after being diagnosed with cancer of the stomach.
"When he (Mr Lee) first came to us, it was obvious that he was undernourished. He looked very frail and his movements were very slow due to lethargy, one of the symptoms of malnutrition," said Dr Chee. To prepare him, the centre's staff increased his nutritional and caloric intake by putting him on a structured meal and nutrition program.
He was also given additional nutritional and vitamin supplements.
One and a half years later, Mr Lee is nothing like his frail former self. Despite his illness, the sprightly old man has put on some weight, is able to take leisurely walks using his walking frame and is always in high spirits.
Ultimately, Dr Chee feels that combating malnutrition amongst the elderly should not be a one-off approach. Besides supplying the elderly with a healthy and balanced diet, caregivers should also ensure that they are kept mentally and physically healthy.
"Malnutrition is only one of the growing problems amongst the elderly in Singapore.
"Care for elderly should be holistic. Generally, if they're happy people, then such problems would not exist anymore," she said.
A nutritious, inexpensive diet for the elderly consists of:
Normal diet
Breakfast 1 cup coffee/tea prepared with milk or 1 cup nutritional supplement 1 whole meal bread sandwich with peanut butter Snack 1 small raisin bun Lunch 1 bowl noodle soup with fish slices and green leafy vegetable 1 wedge watermelon Snack 1 bowl red bean soup Dinner 1 bowl meat and vegetable soup 1 bowl cooked rice 1 palm-sized portion chicken 3/4 cup cooked vegetables 1 apple
Soft diet
Breakfast 1 glass soy milk 1 bowl oatmeal porridge prepared with milk Snack 1small bowl tau huay Lunch 1 bowl mee sua with minced fish and chopped spinach 1 wedge papaya Snack 1 cup nutritional supplement Dinner 1 bowl meat and vegetable soup 1 bowl rice porridge 1 palm-sized portion finely minced chicken/meat 3/4 cup minced vegetables, 1 banana - TODAY
|
