Elderly people (parents) were often run into problems of malnutrition even though they do not look skinny. Increasing age, the higher the risk of suffering from malnutrition. Suffering from certain diseases, reduced physiological function, the wrong diet, economic factors, reduced social contacts, as well as taking many drugs are factors that influence the occurrence of malnutrition in the elderly.
If malnutrition is not addressed properly will bring consequences of energy deficiency, protein and other nutrients that can result in increased health care costs and declining quality of life. This can actually be avoided with proper nutrition and implement a healthy lifestyle early on.
"Malnutrition in the elderly is a consequence of various social, economic, physical - somatic, and the environment. In elderly patients who are sick, malnourished increased disease complications, require longer healing time and cause medical costs to swell. Thus, nutrients must be considered as part of the treatment itself in order to better disease management and efficient "said dr. Nina Kemala Sari, SpPDKGer, FINASIM Media Education at the event organized by the Division of Geriatric Medicine - Department of Medicine Faculty of Medicine and the Abbott Nutrition in order to welcome the day of the Elderly May 29, 2011.
"The mobilization disorders (arthritis and stroke), functional aerobic capacity, sensory disturbances (smell, taste, and sight), disorders of the teeth / chewing ability, malabsorption, chronic disease (anorexia, metabolic disorders), alcohol, and drugs cause elderly prone to malnutrition. Psychological factors such as depression and dementia as well as socioeconomic factors (financial constraints, lack of nutrition knowledge, cooking facilities and less dependence on others) can also cause the elderly are malnourished. Malnutrition is associated with impaired immunity, inhibit wound healing, decreased quality of life, increasing the cost of the use of health facilities, and increased mortality, "he added.
In the world today there are approximately 737 million elderly people, namely the age of 60 years (data UNFPA). Of these about two-thirds live in the developing world, including in Indonesia. BPS data in 2010 recorded a population of Indonesia in the amount of 237,641,326 and an estimated 20 million people are elderly.
In Indonesia, the number of elderly population will experience a tremendous increase; the world's largest (414%) in 2025. This encourages us all to be ready for it, ready to face the logical consequences of the existence of problems that comes with the advanced age of this population explosion. Therefore, the Division of Geriatric Medicine - Department of Medicine Faculty of Medicine held a Scientific Meeting held in Geriatric Medicine.
"Complaints elderly patients coming to hospitals often turns out is because they do not consume nutrients properly. Therefore, it is important to improve nutritional intake so that parents can consume a balanced diet and meet the needs of the body, "said dr. Rizal Edy Wahyudi, SpPD.
"Nevertheless, the consumption of good nutrition is not only done at the time of old age. Saving early nutritional reserves necessary to prevent the onset of various degenerative diseases and declining quality of life. With the awareness of the importance of maintaining nutritional needs since the age of middle-aged is expected to have a healthy old age both physically and mentally.