Malnutrition

Healthy nutrition is essential to aging gracefully. Malnutrition (also known as improper nutrition) can cause muscle weakness, infections, and confusion that can lead to pressure ulcers, a lower immunity to viruses and bacteria, falls, immobility, pneumonia, and pressure ulcers. Improper nutrition lowers the quality of life of nursing home residents and is easily preventable.

It is important that all nursing home facilities assess the nutritional health of each one of their residents and provide each resident with a healthy, balanced, and tasty diet.

Physical Causes Of Malnutrition In Nursing Home Residents:

  • Illness
  • Drug and food interactions that may lower the body's ability to digest minerals and vitamins
  • Physical causes
  • Mouth problems, including ill-fitting dentures, tooth loss, mouth pain, and mouth sores
  • Adverse side effects from drugs, including diarrhea, nausea, cognitive disturbances, vomiting, and drowsiness
  • Swallowing Disorders
  • Tremors (They prevent residents from being able to feed themselves)
  • Depression
  • Dependence on liquid supplements
  • All of these factors can prevent a nursing home resident from getting the right amount of calories, vitamins, protein, and nutrition needed to stay nutritionally healthy.

Environmental Causes

  • Insufficient information or training for staff on how to properly feed residents who need assistance
  • Special diets
  • Not enough help or attention from staff members for residents who need help being fed

All of these factors can prevent a nursing home resident from getting the right amount of calories, vitamins, protein, and nutrition needed to stay nutritionally healthy.

It is important that you start to ask questions if you see that your loved one is exhibiting the following symptoms.

Symptoms of Malnutrition:

  • Dentures are now not fitting properly
  • Cracks appearing around the mouth area
  • Wounds are healing too slowly
  • Mouth and lips appear pale
  • Skin appears to be breaking down
  • Eyes appear sunken
  • Ongoing weight loss
  • Resident seems confused

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