| dc.description.abstract | Currently, there is an aging population, leading to an increased demand for chronic non-communicable diseases and that coupled with the physiologic and individual situations that occur with aging, interfere with the individual's nutritional status. It is known that food is a basic human need and as such is of vital importance for the elderly have a quality life. We also emphasize that food is important for preventing diseases and avoiding illness in an individual's health and should not therefore be despised, nor even by the elderly by the health team that assists the elderly. This study focuses on the changes generated by the aging process of the gastrointestinal system just because they do not interfere in appetite in the face of gradual reduction of the olfactory senses, taste, visual and tactile, but also in the very functions of the gastrointestinal system, which is reflected in the processes of absorption of certain nutrients and leads to increased fragility of the elderly. Some of these changes include the loss of teeth, decreased production of saliva and taste buds which causes difficulty in chewing and swallowing food. Also noteworthy are the measures related to a healthy diet, which should be part of the actions pursued by the Family Health Team to the elderly and their families. Hence, we decided to outline the purpose of this paper is to report our experience with the implementation of a guideline proposal for the elderly on healthy eating habits. This descriptive study reports on the type of experience. The study setting was the unit of Gardens Family Health, located in the City of Carmo da Mata / MG. We used the databases of information from the municipality, as the information system of primary care, family register, the information system of prenatal care system, food and nutrition surveillance and feeding history sheets of the elderly, articles, journals, theses and dissertations published in the Virtual Library scielo and health, as well as books in the field of gerontology. The results showed that the team of the family health program, "Gardens" had the opportunity to reflect on the actions taken, and learn more about the reality of the health problems faced by the elderly in their service area, which contributed to the planning of actions to promote healthy eating for the elderly and implementation of proposed activities. In conclusion it is emphasized that the elderly person to guide on nutrition for the elderly requires knowledge, attention and above all patience, not only by the family, but also the very old, and the entire team providing care to this clientele to that the elderly can obtain a better quality of life. | |
