The nurse is reviewing the nutritional assessment of an 82-year-old widowed patient. Which of these factors will most likely affect the nutritional status of this patient?

A) Increase in taste and smell.
B) Living alone on a fixed income.
C) Change in cardiovascular status.
D) Increase in gastrointestinal motility and absorption.

Socioeconomic conditions frequently affect the nutritional status of the aging adult; these factors should be closely evaluated. Physical limitations, income, and social isolation are frequent problems that interfere with the acquisition of a balanced diet. A decrease in taste and smell and decreased gastrointestinal motility and absorption occur with aging. Cardiovascular status is not a factor that affects an older adult's nutritional status. Older adults normally experience decrease in taste, smell, and gastrointestinal motility and absorption, not an increase in them. Changes in cardiovascular status do not normally affect nutritional status.