Page 195 - Nutrition Counseling and Education Skills: A Guide for Professionals

9C H A P T E R

Counseling Through the Life Span

Objectives

• Identify life span age groups.
• Recognize strategies for effective counseling through the life span.
• Evaluate the preventive health nutrition focus for each life span group.
• Define self-management concepts in chronic diet-related disease.

CASE CHALLENGE 1

Mrs. Smith, a widow, is 76 years old. She is 5’3” tall and weighs 150 lb. She has arthritis in her
knees and hands which limits her mobility. She does not drive, and there is no grocery store within walking
distance of her home. She takes aspirin or over-the-counter anti-inflammatory agents. She lives on a small
pension and Social Security. Last month, her granddaughter Sarah (age 35, 12-weeks pregnant) moved in
with children Charles (age 15) and Chelsea (age 4) while Sarah’s husband is on overseas military duty. The
family will be coming to your office for nutrition counseling.

The journey through life is a process of growth and change.

—Anonymous

Introduction

National nutrition objectives, including Healthy People 2020 and Choose MyPlate, address all age groups

195