Promoting Healthy Eating for Dementia in Residential Homes Essay

Promoting Healthy Eating for Dementia in Residential Homes - Essay Example In fact, individuals who are obese are also considered as malnourished. According to the World Health Organization (2000), malnutrition related to hunger is a life-threatening situtaion. Therefore, it can lead to a significant increase in morbidity and mortality rate. Considering the adverse health effects of malnutrition on patients with dementia, nurses who are assigned to take care of this group of patients should pay more attention to the importance of proper nutrition. The number of people with dementia is expected to increase throughout the United Kingdom (Knapp and Prince, 2007:22-23). For this reason, nurses should search for new ways on how they can improve the physical health of these patients. One of the best and most simple ways to improve the physical health of patients with dementia is to focus on how nurses can effectively promote healthy eating. By promoting healthy eating among patients with dementia, the nurses can protect the patients from becoming sicklier or more vulnerable to other types of illnesses. There are certain types of food that can help prevent the incidence of dementia. For example, vitamin B12 and Folate deficiencies are also associated with developing dementia and cognitive impairment (Bruce Fife, 2011). Fish like tuna, salmon, mackerel and herring is rich in Omega 3 fats. Based on a recent study, doctors suggest that eating fish at least once a week reduces the risk of developing dementia by 60% (McFadden, 2011), Since dementia is hereditary, continuous promotion of healthy eating can help public awareness against dementia. Thus, improving the healthcare practices throughout the United Kingdom. Nurses are the front-liners within a healthcare setting. This explains why most of the patients with dementia are being cared for by the nurses. One of the role and responsibilities of the nurses is to deliver a holistic care to their patients. Therefore, nurses who are currently working in a residential nursing home should continuousl y improve their knowledge and skills on how they can effectively promote a healthy eating lifestyle. 5.0 Literature Review General Facts about Dementia in UK Dementia is â€Å"a global impairment of cognitive function that usually is progressive and may be permanent; interferes with normal social and occupational activities† (Kozier et al., 2004:1449). In most cases, patients with dementia suffers from â€Å"a collection of symptoms, including a decline in memory, reasoning and communication skills, and a gradual loss of skills needed to carry out daily activities† (Knapp and Prince, 2007:2). Patients with dementia are prone to suffer from the rising levels of severe illness coupled with reduced sensory function of taste, smell, and teeth which negatively impacts on the nutritional needs of the patient (Linda, 2005: 221-245). This explains why most of the elderly patients who were diagnosed with dementia are less likely to eat properly as compared to patients with deme ntia who are still young or in the adulthood stage. Furthermore, several studies mentioned that a significant decrease in the metabolic process of elderly patients can also lead to other health complications that are