The Nutrition of the Elderly course aims to help Nutrition and Dietetics students understand the physiological, metabolic, and psychological changes that occur during the aging process and how these changes affect nutritional needs. As part of the course, students will acquire the skills to assess nutritional status in older adults and to identify and manage age-related nutritional issues such as sarcopenia and malnutrition. Additionally, they will develop competencies in creating evidence-based nutritional treatment plans tailored to the elderly in cases of chronic diseases and special conditions, evaluating the use of dietary supplements and functional foods, and applying current technological approaches. By the end of the course, students will be equipped to address the nutritional needs of the elderly population using a holistic approach and to plan nutritional interventions that support healthy aging.

This course begins by addressing the biological, physiological, and social dimensions of the aging process and examines in detail the effects of physiological changes in older adults on their nutritional needs. Students learn to use nutritional status assessment tools (such as the MNA, MUST, and SGA) to evaluate older adults and gain the ability to calculate energy, macronutrient, and micronutrient requirements. In the middle section of the course, the definition, etiology, and evidence-based nutritional interventions for age-related nutritional problems such as sarcopenia and malnutrition are discussed, with a particular focus on protein metabolism and muscle health. Methods for developing age-specific nutritional treatment plans for chronic diseases (diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, osteoporosis, dementia) and special conditions (dysphagia, surgery, palliative care) are taught. The course also covers current approaches such as dietary supplements, functional foods, exercise-nutrition combinations, and digital health technologies.