How to Care for the Nutrition of Elderly Patients with Cancer

Cancer may be a scary word itself, especially for patients and their loved ones. However, it should not be that burdensome through proper care management – and that includes nutrition.

To prevent malnutrition, for instance, prompt and continuous nutrition management is needed. Since the elderly’s (those ages 65 and above) body is prone to loss of lean body mass, bone loss for ladies following menopause, and fat loss, topped with cancer’s side effects such as anorexia, weight loss, and malnutrition, it is no wonder they need such extra tedious nutritional care.

With this, it is vital that care providers be able to identify those patients with the tendency to incur malnutrition earlier on. Dietitians who are oncology-registered is a vital part of the healthcare team who will assess higher-risk patients. They can also tailor-fit the diet of their patients based on the latter’s comorbid disease. They also look into the patient’s medical history, immunotherapy, chemotherapy, and surgery in relation to their nutritional status.

Through these considerations, elderly cancer patients can better tolerate cancer treatment and have an improved quality of life. Similarly, home care services can also gain a better understanding of the care management they can offer to their cancer patients to boost their wellness.