70% of the elderly have no income and 30% do not have health insurance.

"Vietnam is one of the countries with the fastest aging population in the world (about 10 million people - PV), but the elderly in Vietnam are not well cared for. Of these, 70% of the elderly have no income and 30% do not have health insurance," Dr. Tran Thi Minh Hanh, Head of the Department of Nutrition, Hoan My Saigon Hospital, commented at the hospital's scientific conference on October 21.

There are people who are 60 years old but cannot take care of themselves.

"Everyone goes through the aging process, but each person's aging is different. Some people, even at 70 years old, still live like a 30-40 year old, can ride a bike, play sports, and do physical activities; but there are people who are not so old, only about 60 years old, but are dependent and need help with daily activities. Thus, health determines each person's aging process. And the aging body also affects the nutrition of the elderly," said Dr. Minh Hanh.

Dinh dưỡng ở người cao tuổi, những hệ lụy - Ảnh 1. — Nutrition for the elderly affects quality of life

TS-BS Minh Hanh believes that malnutrition in the elderly is a challenge not only with increased rates of illness and death, but also with physical decline, seriously affecting the quality of life. Malnutrition in the elderly is increasingly common and can lead to aging syndrome, including osteoporosis, falls, weakness and muscle wasting.

The causes of malnutrition in the elderly are often complex and multifactorial, and may be related to inflammatory diseases, non-inflammatory diseases, or not accompanied by disease (mainly malnutrition due to poor diet or lack of food).

Poor appetite in the elderly can be due to reduced sensory function (taste, smell, vision...), hormonal changes that reduce appetite, changes in intestinal microflora...

The nutritional needs of each person are 30 calories/kg of body weight/day, a person of 50 kg needs 1,500 calories/day. However, surveys show that the elderly eat very little. Thus, the energy needs are not guaranteed, not to mention the low protein intake.

"Elderly people lose muscle, are weak, have high nutritional needs but do not eat. Along with that, elderly people eat low amounts of protein, because there are many factors related to genetics, physiological changes, health status, mental disorders, and delicate - social conditions that make them eat less but their needs are not less", Dr. Minh Hanh said.

What is the nutritional supplement solution?

According to TS-BS Minh Hanh, to ensure the need for energy and nutrients, the elderly who are malnourished or at risk of malnutrition need to use nutritional supplements and snacks. For those at risk of chewing and swallowing disorders, they also need appropriate meals, in addition to oral supplements. Along with that are appropriate physical activities and sports.

Nutritional intervention for the elderly should be multi-modal and multi-disciplinary, avoiding excessive dieting because of the risk of malnutrition.

For example, if an endocrinologist tells a patient to eat less sugar and rice, the patient will not dare to eat. If a cardiologist tells the patient to eat less salt, the patient will eat bland, unseasoned food. If a nephrologist tells the patient to eat less protein, the patient will reduce protein. After a period of time, the patient will become confused, have anxiety disorders, and become weak. Therefore, the doctor must guide the patient on how to eat properly.

"To restore nutrition for the elderly, there needs to be coordination between the treating physician, nutritionist, and nurse taking care of the patient. Nutrition education for caregivers is also very important, helping the patient recover better," said Dr. Minh Hanh said and concluded: "Who says old age is the end, old age is the end, old health is happiness".

Vietnamese people are not rich but old

In Ho Chi Minh City alone, there are about 1 million elderly people. In August and September 2023, the Ho Chi Minh City health sector examined the health of 17,000 elderly people. In addition to blood pressure and diabetes being detected the most, Ho Chi Minh City also recorded the quality of life of the elderly.

Specifically, the program recorded 16.27% of the elderly showing signs of pre-weakness, 0.45% showing signs of weakness; 28.88% of people at risk of falling; 1.60% of people dependent on basic daily living activities (bathing, dressing, eating, hygiene, urination, moving); 6.54% of people dependent on daily living activities (ability to use the phone, shopping, preparing food, cleaning the house, doing laundry...).

Many experts have said that Vietnamese people are not rich yet but they are already old, with gray hair, loose teeth, shaky knees, etc. Functional decline, accompanied by chronic diseases, etc., affects the families and the elderly themselves, causing a huge medical burden for the health system.

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