It is amazing the amount of malnutrition there is among elderly people. I was doing an assignment for another class on the effects of Anorexia on young adults in America and stumbled on an article on malnutrition among the elderly especially among those in long term care. According to a Medscape article published in 2006 malnutrition was identified in 50% of patients in long tem care facilities. "Poor nutritional status and protein-calorie malnutrition have been associated with altered immunity, impaired wound healing, reduced functional status, increased health care utilization, and increased mortality. Weight loss of 5% or more of usual body weight is associated with increased morbidity and mortality"(Medscape). This is an alarming fact with very serious and negative outcomes. I think more information needs to be published about the effects of malnutrition and the effects and outcomes it has on the elderly. As if being in a long term care facility doesn’t promote enough stress one must also have to deal with being malnourished. Its no wonder that elderly people always dread have to go into a nursing home, it’s like a concentration camp. Maybe harsher punishment should be given to establishments found to be partaking in such actions. Or maybe more audits should be done to see that these things never happen at all. Regardless something should be done to see that people put in these long term care facilities have the best experience that they can possably have.
Resources:
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/534768?rss
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