Nutrition and Aging Lecture Reflection

One thing I took away from the lecture today was how early in life our different body structures begin to decline. For example, between ages 25-30, our average maximum attainable heart rate declines by about one beat per minute, per year and average loss of muscle begins to speed up as we age starting at age 25. I will be 25 this year; therefore, it was really interesting to learn about and put some things in perspective for me.

Something else that I learned today was how many Americans live with food insecurity, which was way more than I expected. 1 in 8 Americans live with food insecurity, which was very surprising to me. This is important to keep in mind because those who live this way are 50% more likely to develop diabetes and 3x more likely to be depressed. Knowing these facts helps me to realize how important it is to screen individuals for food insecurity as well as helps me know what risks come with food insecurity in order to better treat those clients.

Today also helped me to really understand how important our lean body mass is to our survival. Any amount of loss of lean body mass can be devastating. 10% loss of lean body mass leads to decreased immunity and increased infections. Losing 40% of lean body mass leads to death, usually from pneumonia. I never realized how much of an effect that this particular body structure has on us. Loss of lean body mass can cause decreased strength and energy, loss of independence, increased risk of falls and fractures, decreased quality of life, and much more, which are all in the occupational therapy scope of practice. Therefore, occupational therapists have a part to play in educating and treating clients with lean body mass loss.

I have known that nutrition is so important for us; however, today I learned why it is so important and just how important it is. Nutrition can affect many aspects of our health and should be at the top of our minds when treating clients. As occupational therapists and students, we can help keep nutrition at the forefront of our minds in order to help clients as much as possible. One thing that occupational therapists can do is test grip strength, this is information that occupational therapists use, but it can also be passed along to the registered dietician because weak grip strength is a sign of malnutrition. Occupational therapists can also educate the client on what can be done to improve their health when it comes to nutrition. Occupational therapists can also incorporate a client’s supplements into the treatment session when working on ADLs in therapy. Occupational therapists can also help educate other health professionals (doctors, nurses, etc.) on the importance of nutrition and what signs to look for with malnutrition. These are just some things that occupational therapists can do when it comes to nutrition. There are many more things that can be done and should be done in order to increase overall quality of life.