Quality of life through feeding and Cognitive flexibility of third age persons

Abstract

This study entitled "Quality of life through feeding and cognitive flexibility of third age persons" aims at grasping how third age persons’ feeding lifestyle can maintain or delay declines in their mental flexibility. Executive function declines are at a rise in our societies. The interplay between environmental challenges and changes occurring during specific periods of people's development has played a role in that. With the fast growth in the population of older adults, this has become an even greater call for mental health concerns. As, health or its absence in this rapidly increasing population does not only affect the individuals concerned, but the society at large. Hence, the rise in demand for multi-sectorial interventions to promote longer, healthier and active lives, among which the nutritional regime plays a central role. Thus, we wondered how the cognitive flexibility of the third age person could be maintained in order to preserve his autonomy and independence at the same time. We therefore hypothesized that intervention on lifestyle through diet can maintain or delay declines of cognitive flexibility in third age persons. To test this assumption, we conducted a qualitative research making use of the multiple case study method (four participants). The results obtained were analyzed using the thematic content analysis, which revealed that dietary quality of life maintains mental flexibility in third age persons through reciprocal interaction (process), person and time. This result therefore gives relevance to the initial hypothesis, and joins other researchers who affirmed that quality feeding plays a major role in older adults’ executive and cognitive states.