Zayas SE, Fundora ÁV

Language: Spanish
References: 0
Page: 394-429
PDF size: 693.44 Kb.

ABSTRACT

Cuba is witnessing the demographic ageing as another of the elements incorporated within the global epidemiological transition. The life expectancy of the human being has prolonged significantly in latter years. People can expect today to live as many years after reaching 50 years of age. It is then understood the interest and the efforts of researchers for uncovering the keys of a prolonged, successful and satisfactory ageing in a planet where this demographic stratum has already amounted to one fifth of the population. Ageing implies reduction with age of the capacity of the economy to substain constancy of the inner millieu and respond to aggression. In addition, ageing means an increased risk of inappropiate use of nutrients and malnutrition. The care of an increasingly aged population then calls for redefining concepts and terms currently accepted in order to characterize as best as possible the assistance needs of this population segment. As part of the ageing process definition of elderliness is revised as the chronological moment in the subject`s life in which a 60.0% (or higher) reduction (physiological in itself) of any of several indicators of health and body composition occurs. The revised definition of elderliness also takes into account the changes occurring in body weight and the size of body compartments as the subject grows older, in particular when it is ascertained that a 10.0% reduction of body weight might affect the subject´s autonomy and validism. Definition of elderliness is expanded in order to include the “frail elder”, and hence to identify those subjects with a diminished capacity to respond to stresors of varying type and so requiring specialized care. A better understanding of the ageing phenomen will lead to better-designed food and nutritional interventions, and thus, a better quality of life of the elder subject and his/her relatives.