Losing Weight In The Very Elderly

Especially if an older adult is living on his her own far away from adult children who can help and monitor.

Losing weight in the very elderly. It signals a health decline whether or not the elder has weight to spare. Aging is generally accompanied by weight loss made up of both fat mass and fat free mass. The current framework prescribed by the medical community is to identify underlying causes and treat those and then to give nutritional support in.

That depends unintentional weight loss not the result of dieting to lose weight can be worrisome. For most people losing weight after 60 is hard but that s normal. A doctor should always be involved in healthcare related decisions and a doctor can work very well in conjunction with caregivers to solve the problem of unintentional weight loss in seniors.

In fact according to a report in american family physician unintentional weight loss which is defined as dropping more than 5 percent of your body weight in six to 12 months occurs in 15 to 20 percent of older adults and is linked to an. As a caretaker it is important to make note of any significant changes. Health risks are decreased in overweight children and adults by dieting and exercise but the health ben.

As more people including elderly are overweight or obese weight loss is recommended to improve health. This is a very well thought out article about the complexities of unexplained sudden weight loss in older adults. Many factors come into play here sometimes alone or in combination.

The two most common health conditions that can cause weight gain are 1 the thyroid losing function and 2 insulin becoming less functional. You spend much of your life trying to keep your weight down but with age shedding pounds can be cause for concern rather than celebration. When an older person has lost weight involuntarily it is important to identify and treat any underlying conditions.

Older adults can experience weight loss even if they seem to eat well and have a good appetite. You are good to point out that it is first of all important to discover the cause s and not jump to conclusions or a solution before really delving in. Thus it is important to understand everything about your loved one s loss of appetite.