THE ROLE OF NURSE IN SOLVING GERONTOLOGY PATIENT'S NUTRITION PROBLEMS

Hrana i tekućina uvjetuju funkcioniranje, dok njihova količina, vrsta i oblik uzimanja često uvjetuju način funkcioniranja ljudskog organizma. Udio starije populacije u Hrvatskoj, ali i Europi postaje sve veći, što zahtijeva posebnu pozornost. Pojavnošću poremećaja i bolesti tipičnih za osobe starije dobi, poput pretilosti, pothranjenosti, zloćudnih bolesti, šećerne bolesti, arterijske hipertenzije i drugih srčanožilnih bolesti, osteoporoze, artritisa te Alzheimerove bolesti i drugih oblika demencije, javlja se potreba za promjenama u dotadašnjem načinu funkcioniranja, uključujući i obrazac prehrane. Medicinska sestra / tehničar ima ulogu u navedenome. Osigurava se unos hrane i vode, enteralno ili parenteralno te savjetuje odabir namirnica, naročito kod uzimanja terapije. Provodi se edukacija, ne samo u teoriji, već i u praksi, kao što je npr. primjena pen štrcaljke. Pristup je holistički, a prevencija i edukacija moraju se provoditi održavajući i razvijajući zdravlje pojedinca i stanovništva, kao jedna od najvažnijih mjera borbe protiv razvoja bolesti i komplikacija te neučinkovitosti zdravstvenog sustava i njegovih troškova.Food and fluid intake impacts the functioning of a human body, while its amount, type of and way of taking often affects the way in which the humany body functions. The share of the elderly population is increasing not only in Croatia, but also in Europe, which requires special attention. With the presence of disorders and illnesses typical for the elderly, such as obesity, malnutrition, malignancy, diabetes, arterial hypertension and other cardiovascular diseases, osteoporosis, arthritis, Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia, there is a need for adjustments in the previous way of functioning, including nutrition. The nurse has a role in the afore-mentioned. Food and water intake is provided, enterally or parenterally and the patient is advised about food choice, especially if taking medicines. Education is conducted, not only in theory, but also in practice, for example; teaching patients how to use insulin pen. This is a holistic approach and both prevention and health education have to be offered to maintain and improve the health of individuals and general population, as this is the one of the most significant measures to combat the development of diseases and complications, as well as inefficiency of the health sector and its huge financial costs