Knowledge and Nutritional Status of Elderly

Abstract

Old age is someone who has reached more than 60 years of age and has limitations in making a living to meet their daily needs. Elderly are individuals who have experienced an aging process and decreased endurance making it vulnerable to disease. Problems that often occur in the elderly are malnutrition and infection. Elderly who cannot meet their daily needs independently tend to experience underweight. Besides being influenced by knowledge, habits are also very important in shaping the health of the elderly. The purpose of this study was to identify the knowledge and nutritional status of the elderly in the Medan City area. The research design used is descriptive with a total of 30 elderly respondents. Data collection is done by interviewing respondents one by one. The results of the study found that the majority of the elderly have less knowledge about nutrition and the majority of the nutritional status of the elderly is in the poor category. Researchers advise the community, especially the elderly, to be active in activities held by local health workers to gain and improve knowledge, especially those related to the nutritional needs of the elderly.