Free Nursing Dissertations - The Activity Of Living: Eating And Drinking Introduction: In This Article, I
The Activity of Living: Eating and Drinking
Introduction:
In this article, I will discuss the significance of the different activities of living in mental health nursing with special reference to eating and drinking activities. Eating and drinking figure as the basic necessities of life not just in mental health nursing but for all individuals, healthy or in care. The importance of eating and drinking is linked through good nutrition, proper availability of nutritious food being the very essence of care. I will examine the concept of malnourishment, the effects of malnourishment and the general health concerns associated with the amount or quality of hospital meals. In the first part of the essay I will analyse the importance of eating and drinking in mental health nursing as essence of care, the special nutrition needs of concerned patients and the possible effects of malnourishment, and the relationship between malnourishment, malnutrition and possibility of diseases. In the second part of this analysis I will examine the importance of quality of meals and the nature of food taken, nutritional assessment tools along with healthcare and nursing studies to understand the implications of healthy food and diet on mental health nursing, care planning and implementation and clinical management in general. The work is based on the Roper-Logan-Tierney model for nursing that identifies 12 activities of living, the key factors that affect them, and the four components of the nursing process (Roper et al, 1986).
Nutrition and Health -
The National Diet and Nutrition Survey programme was set up jointly by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF) and the Department of Health and is made up of a series of five surveys relating to foods consumed and nutrient intake; nutritional status (based on physical measurements and analysis of blood samples); blood pressure; and physical activity (NDNS, 2004).
Adults from 19 to 64 were selected for this survey programme and 2251 respondents completed the dietary interview as part of the survey. The findings indicate that men consumed larger quantities of fats & oils; meat, meat dishes & meat products; sugars, preserves & sweet spreads; soft drinks, not low calorie; and alcoholic drinks. In general men also consumed larger quantities of many foods compared with women although women consumed larger quantities of fruit (excluding fruit juice) than men (NDNS, 2004). The survey also indicated the general eating patterns and preferences of men and women seem to vary not just with gender differences but also with age variations with nutritional content in the diet varying considerably across different periods of life.
Within mental health nursing, care planning schedule is of considerable importance and this include intake of food and nutritional patterns of individuals in care.
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