Health Care And nutrition Assesment Analysis

RUNNING HEAD: HEALTHCARE 0
Health and nutrition March 9
2020

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Introduction
Human health is a very serious topic. In today's busy lifestyle where no one cares for anyone
older adults health is being neglected. Older adults that are living alone and isolated are facing
many health-related issues that need attention (Nicholson, 2012). This report will discuss Sara's
case. She is 76 years old widow. She lives alone and is retired from a factory worker job. After a
couple of tests, she was told she is underweight and needs doctor's assistance. This report will
highlight the behavioral theories, approaches, and strategies to understand Sara's case better.
Further, this report will discuss lifestyle changes that should be done by Sara to gain weight.
This report will also analyze and inform about the importance of diet in older adults with
physical activity guidelines. In the end, this report will discuss how behavior theories can help
counselors to understand the patient better. Being underweight can cause many difficulties such
as heart diseases, breathing problems, and knee pains, etc. (Argent & Balachandran, 2017). This
report will highlight all the ways on how Sara can gain weight again and live a healthy life.
Nutritional disorder
Underweight
A human is considered under-weight when their body weight is considered too low (Wronka et
al., 2013). Under-weight individuals are advised to gain weight by increasing their calorie intake
or by adding an exercise in their daily routine because muscle hypertrophy increases body mass
(Cibelli et al., 2017). The treatment for weight gain may differ from person to person because
every individual's case is different. Sara is a 76-year-old woman who is told by her GP that she is
underweight. Sara is underweight because of her lifestyle and eating habits. The center of disease
control and prevention recommends people to use body mass index to calculate if the person is
underweight or overweight (Pasco et al., 2014). A person gets underweight because their body
may not be getting sufficient nutrients for a long period. Being underweight can cause serious
health problems (Abarca-Gómez et al., 2017). In older people eating less and eating wrong is the
reason for unintentional weight loss. A person can be underweight due to genetics, improper
metabolism, lack of proper diet, and improper consumption of alcohol (Bender, 2014). Regular
Smoking and alcohol consumption can make an individual lose their appetite (Nijs et al., 2010).

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Bodyweight can be increased by nutritional supplements or adding sufficient vitamins and
minerals in the daily diet (Agarwal et al., 2015).
Prevalence
The UK is becoming a nation of excesses, with a growing number of people either severely
underweight or extremely obese (Collaboration, 2016). The number of people that maintain their
health is decreasing and more people are risking their health. According to the figures collected
by the market analyst data, the monitor found that 600,000 men and 700,000 women in the UK
are identified as severely underweight. These people are 2% of the adult population. It is also
estimated that this number may increase in the coming years (the UK, 2013). Weighing too little
can weaken that immune system, fragile bones and make people feel tired (Pawelec, 2010). At a
young age, it is easy to lose weight or gain weight (Harvie et al., 2011). Only minor changes in
eating habits and activity levels can help in gaining and losing weight. It is difficult to gain and
lose weight in old adulthood (Sutin & Ferrucci, 2013). Muscle tissues shrink and lose mass as
people age. It becomes difficult for humans to maintain their health because of tiredness
(Kronholm et al., 2015).
Lifestyle changes affect body weight dramatically (Nobili, 2011). For example, retirement may
dramatically reduce the amount of physical activity daily (Demakakos et al., 2012). After
working for throughout life this free time sometimes makes the old generation feel lonely and
alone. Sara who has worked all her life has lost her husband; she lives alone and has only a few
friends. Sara's lifestyle is the main reason for her being underweight. She wakes up early and eats
nothing. She smokes 10-20 cigarettes per day and drinks one large whiskey every day before she
sleeps. She drinks 8 to 10 cups of tea per day. Sara needs to modify her lifestyle completely for
gaining all the weight she has lost. Also, her life seems to be lonely and boring. Loneliness can
mess with eating habits. Loneliness can be a factor in either weight gain or weight loss.
Loneliness can disturb eating habits, a person starts consuming alcohol or starts smoking to
overcome or numb the lonely feelings (Spada, 2012).

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Underweight health risks: Causes and potential consequences
Causes
There can be various reasons that can make a person lose weight to a point that he or she become
underweight. Some causes of being underweight include:
Hereditary
Some people have naturally low BMI due to physical elements that run in family. When low
BMI runs in family it is defined as hereditary (Savona-Ventura & Savona-Ventura, 2015).
High metabolism
A person with high metabolism does not gain much weight even after eating high-energy or high
carbs foods (Hall et al., 2012).
Financial crises
Financial crises also disturb the health of people. Foods those are high on protein that helps the
most in weight gain are expensive as well.
Physical illness or chronic disease
Some type of disease can cause regular nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. It makes difficult for
people to gain weight. Sara is an old adult with a high cholesterol levels. A high cholesterol level
with obesity reduces the stamina. This is one of the reasons Sara’s physical activity speed has
decreased. She has to improve her lifestyle in order to become healthier.
Mental health illness
Poor mental health can affect a person's ability to eat (Terry & Leary, 2011). There can be two
conditions either a person can lose his or her appetite or start eating the double of he or she is
generally eats. Diet of a person determines his or her body weight body weight (Wang et al.,
2017).
Lifestyle
It is the most common reason for weight loss in the people. People's lifestyle affects their health
(Walsh, 2011). Sara lives alone in a single room. She must have felt lonely and isolated that
affected her eating and drinking habits.

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In Sara’s case, many reasons could be identified with her weight loss. The reason behind Sara's
weight loss is her lifestyle, eating and drinking habits, and her mental health. Sara wakes up
early and still skips her breakfast. After seven or eight hours of sleep human body needs energy
to function hence, breakfast is the most important meal of the day (Spence, 2017). Regular
drinking by older adults can disturb their blood circulation and it can be harmful for them. Sara
needs to change her drinking and smoking habits. Older adults should have active social circle
to share thoughts and worries and release stress (Stephens, 2015). Sara is lonely and needs some
company or social circle that will keep her cheerful.
All about Diet
Diet is the main reason for bodyweight fluctuation (Fock & Khoo, 2013). Bodyweight can be
improved or reduced by changing eating habits positively (Mozaffarian et al., 2011). Eating
foods that are easy to digest and high on protein helps in gaining weight and foods that are high
on sugar and salt but low on protein would not help in gaining the weight. According to Sara’s
case, she also needs diet modification to gain weight. She requires special changes in her diet to
gain weight.
 Snacks: underweight people should add snacks that are high on protein or has whole
grain carbohydrate in it. In snacks, Sara can add any milk product to her diet that is
affordable for her. For instance, Sara can have Greek yogurt it has more protein and less
fat.
 Eat frequently: underweight people may feel full faster in comparison to a person with
normal weight. They can eat five or six smaller meals during a day that will help them
gain weight.
 Nutrition rich foods: Foods such as whole-grain pieces of bread, portions of pasta, fruits,
vegetables, milk products, lean protein, and nuts are a rich source of nutrition. Nutrition
consumption helps in gaining weight and provides energy to the body.
 Avoid consuming excess sugar and salt: consuming foods that are high on sugar or salt
can give energy for only a small duration, and underweight people get full very easily as
well (Bellisle, 2014). It is essential to choose their foods smartly in order to recover.

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Sara’s case
There can be many reasons an older adult lose their appetite. Alcohol consumption disturbs the
blood circulation and brain functions. Sara has lost her morning appetite because of alcohol
consumption. Maintaining healthy body weight is essential and few ladders should be taken to
gain weight. Sara has lost her morning appetite and her daily diet is also a big reason to worry.
Her diet just doesn't give her enough nutrition. She is in severely underweight situation. Her total
cholesterol level also high.
Lost appetite
Sara has no appetite for breakfast. It is essential to bring back her appetite. It is common for old
age people to lose their appetite because of a lack of physical activity. Basic and easy stages to
bring back appetite are:
 Smaller meals: Sara has no frequency in consuming food. A person with a normal body
weight eats three meals a day; Sara's diet includes just two proper meals that too do not
contain enough nutrition. Sara needs to add meals to her diet and start eating small
portions of meals five to six times a day.
 Calories: Sara needs to increase her daily calorie intake. Taking smaller portions of meals
and adding little physical activity will help her bring back her morning appetite.
Physical activity guidelines for older adults
Sara will have to change her schedule and increase her physical activity level a little bit. Her
main aim should be to be physically active every day. But in the beginning, she should start with
light activity such as walking or taking stairs for two floors. Sara will have to reduce the time of
lying down and break up long periods of not moving. Old adults need to keep moving. Older
adults can enjoy an evening walk with family, friends or simply can spend time with kids in play
grounds.
Lifestyle recommendations
Based on Sara’s lifestyle the main concerns are her meal pattern, physical activity, financial
condition, drinking habits, loneliness, and her cholesterol levels.

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Meal pattern, drinking habits, and cholesterol level
Sara needs to improve her eating habits. Foods such as cheese with 20 per cent milk fat or yogurt
with 3% extra milk fat will help her increase her energy. Then, before lunch, she can add a
healthy snack. Sara will have to stop consuming 10-20 cups of tea. It could be replaced by fruits
or any milk product. Then at lunch, she should avoid eating fried stuff instead she will have to
add food that contains good fat. Before dinner in her evening snack, she can have a banana
milkshake or apple milkshake. In her dinner, she should add foods that are easy to digest yet high
on protein. Baked chicken and mashed potatoes can be a good dinner option for Sara. Sara will
have to reduce her alcohol consumption at night. Initially, she will face problems sleeping but
after some time, she will be able to sleep easily.
Loneliness
Loneliness is the most common issue in older adults. This can have a serious effect on health.
Loneliness and isolation can cause depression and a serious decline in health. Mental health
disturbs all ever health (Caplan, 2013). Older adults need to have an active social circle (Romero
et al., 2010).
Behavior change
Therapeutic approach
The therapeutic approach is the lens through which a therapist addresses the patient's issues
(Beck, 2011). This approach of counselors involves two categories behavioral and
psychodynamic. The behavioral approach generally focuses on short-term and addresses patient's
health through behavior and thought patterns (Seppecher, Applied Economics). The
psychodynamic approach involves the patient’s personality and family history to understand the
cause of the problem. Every counselor has a different approach to counsel their patients. Every
counselor uses different approach because every patient's life experience, history, and behavior
are different.

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Health belief model
When a person is lonely and isolated his or her thinking capacity gets disturbed and overall
health decline is also noticed. People feel that he or she is not capable of doing things like
normal people. The health belief model states that the lack of people engagement or inactive
social circles can cause serious health issues (Dueñas & Ojeda, 2016). When a person is happy
and delighted the risk of health issues decreases (Pantic, 2013). According to the given case Sara
lives alone and has only a few friends. One of the main reasons for her to lose weight is her
loneliness. If she had an active social circle she would have felt cheerful.
Short term counseling
This type of counseling treatment is generally cognitively focused. This approach mainly focuses
on determining thoughts, behaviors, and experiences. Behavioral counseling helps counselors to
utilize and apply different approaches.
Long term approach
This approach is often called psychodynamic approaches. This focuses on looking at a patient’s
childhood experience, upbringing, and relationship history. The counselor that uses the long-term
approach takes very detailed information about family history, past relations, and upbringing of
the patients.
Behavior change strategies
Behavior change has stages that can determine how a person feels. Behavior change aims to
modify the mood of a person. Sara needs action and maintenance. The behavior change strategy
here is helping relationships. Helping relations or social support helps the person to reach their
goal effectively.
Raising awareness
Sara needs to get aware of her health before it's too late. This strategy helps patients to get aware
of their disease. After getting informed about diseases patients needs some time to develop an
understanding and re-evaluate them. This behavior strategy helps patients to re-evaluate. Sara
needs to completely change her lifestyle. She needs to modify her eating habits, physical activity
levels, and social interactivity.

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Potential barriers to achieving your diet
In Sara's case, there can be various barriers for her to follow up on diet and physical activity
levels. Sara is 76 years old lives alone and doesn't have many friends. People with this kind of
lifestyle lack self-motivation easily and becomes extremely difficult for them to reach their goal.
Also, her body is already weak and low energy levels can disturb the patient's morale.
Conclusion
The discussion undertaken in the above parts concludes that human health can be improved in
many ways with the help of counselors or doctors. In the undertaken discussion, Sara's life was
taken as a case and this discussion highlights the methods through which she can improve her
health. There are behavioral theories, strategies, and approaches present in the above discussion
that will help counselors or doctors to understand Sara better. This was followed by highlighting
a new diet plan for Sara. Sara is underweight and needs to gain weight. Particularly in the aspect
of health management, it was highlighted how making minor changes in lifestyle can help
humans bring a healthy change in their life. This report has analyzed knowledge about healthy
lifestyle changes in older people. Lastly, this discussion highlighted changes that Sara needs to
make to live a healthy and happy life. Getting little discipline and balance in life can make a
huge difference in everyone's life. The above discussion has analyzed Sara's case very deeply
and recommends her complete lifestyle change that includes her eating habits, drinking habits,
and social interactivity.

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