Malnutrition is a costly and potentially fatal disease, but it doesn’t have to be.
Lancefield’s Accredited Practicing Dietitian and Nutritionist Prudence Williams shed some light on the issue recently, bringing to attention the many signs and symptoms to watch out for in loved ones.
Malnutrition is a silent epidemic, often called the ‘skeleton in the hospital closet’, because it tends to escape detection and treatment.
This is surprising given that up to four in 10 older adults in our community are malnourished or at risk of malnutrition, one in three adult patients are malnourished in our hospitals, and nearly one in two aged care residents are malnourished. Worldwide, malnutrition costs $3.5 trillion annually compared to obesity related diseases, which costs $2 trillion.
Malnutrition, when unrecognised and untreated, results in longer hospital stays for patients, twice the need for rehab or long-term care, and a 2.3 times higher rate of hospital deaths. Longer hospital stays also mean less beds for other patients.
A one-size-fits-all approach is ineffective when it comes to managing malnutrition. Rather, early identification and personalised nutrition therapy, which highlights the need to tailor nutritional care to each person’s unique needs, preferences, and goals, is crucial.
As we progress through life, our eating habits need to change. Older people have different nutritional priorities, and in the context of malnutrition, it doesn’t matter if they have sugar!
While older adults are particularly susceptible to malnutrition, others at risk include people with infections, those with long-term health conditions—including kidney disease, diabetes, and lung disease—and people with cancer, dementia, and other chronic conditions.
It is important to know the signs and symptoms of malnutrition such as clothes and jewellery getting looser, the person eating less than usual or no longer enjoying their favourite foods, dentures or belts not fitting properly, and wounds taking a long time to heal.
If you have noticed any of the above or are concerned about a loved one, make an appointment with an Accredited Practicing Dietitian. Early detection and correction could just save their life.