Question

Discuss ways you would counsel an elderly male widower with minimal cooking skills and low finances with recent weight loss to help prevent further weight loss and enhance his nutrition and diet. Case study: 75 year old male recently widowed on limited budget. Patients wife has been sole provider of meals for both cooking and shopping. Pt does not have cooking skills. He is on a low salt, low fat diet for cardiac history. He has recently lost weight due to depression; not knowing how to cook for self and what foods to buy due to low income. Discuss ways and interventions for this patient to help prevent further weight loss; improve his nutritional status while living independently in the community

Answer 1

First and foremost thing nurse has to counsel him about loss and grief. You should tell him that life is so simple every one has to expired some other day,it is forever to anybody, just to live and spend time we should have people in the form of relation and blood relation that'it.

Coming to his nutrion at this age i will advise to cook easiest ways with oven to eat low fat diet. If he has children i will inform them to follow the food restrictions and support to their father.

Otherwise we can also advise him about old age home where he spend time with other people.

Minimal cooking skills like, use micro-overn with the vegetable, just tosting with the toaster, instruct him to take less fat diet.