Millions of Americans go without food every day. You might not think you know someone struggling with hunger or malnutrition, but if you know people who are 65 or older, chances are good you do know someone who is malnourished or in danger of becoming that way.
To measure malnutrition among seniors, an international team of researchers designed a brief interview to be conducted with older patients in an emergency department. Caregivers asked patients a series of questions and recorded their body mass index. The study authors also reviewed medical records for some patients.
The researchers found that 16 percent of the patients were malnourished. Most of these people said they had never been diagnosed with this problem before.
An additional 60 percent of the patients were at risk for malnutrition.
People who lived in an assisted living facility, were depressed or had difficulty eating and buying groceries were most likely to be malnourished or at risk for malnutrition.
These numbers may surprise you. Perhaps you’re wondering how you can spot malnutrition in yourself or in older friends and family.
Experts suggest watching for weight loss and loose clothing … and for signs such as wounds that don’t heal well, lots of bruising and dental problems. These difficulties can be caused by malnutrition.
The organization also recommends visiting your loved ones at home during a normal, non-holiday meal, to see how well they eat. And, knowing about their medications and how these medicines affect appetite and nutrient absorption is important.
Malnutrition doesn’t have to be a hallmark of the golden years if we know how to fight it.