A senior Australian dietitian says up to half of people in aged care homes and up to 40 per cent of people in hospitals are malnourished.
Dr Merrilyn Banks from the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital will speak about the issue at a conference in Darwin today.
Dr Banks has studied Australian and international data and looked at how much the problem costs the health system.
She says nutritious food is usually provided by hospitals and aged care facilities, but people who are sick and frail often do not eat enough.
“They’re on medication for pain and that makes it tricker for them to eat,” she said.
“The medication for the pain may not only reduce their appetite but make them drowsy, so it’s more difficult for them to actually eat.
“They may have to be nil by mouth for periods of time.”
She says when people become malnourished they often have to spend more time in hospital.
“Research shows that hospitals could potentially save millions of dollars each year by reducing pressure ulcers alone associated with malnutrition,” she said.
“The study I did estimated that malnutrition just due to pressure ulcers is probably costing the Queensland public system about $13 million a year.”
The information provided about aged people problem about malnutrition is a conscious matter and it is testimony proven. And this kind awarness is always required. And people who are also addicted by drug they also suffer from malnutrition and they need help from Narconon Vistabay which always highlighted on the pivotal role to the victims and along with it one’s willpower can bring radical change who are suffering from addiction and this kind of diseases.
SUMIT,
I think you are on the wrong blog site !
Aged Care residents are not to be considered as
” addicted ” to their analgesia. Most are actually slowly DYING !! What kind of issue do you have with elderly people who are in extreme pain; slowly dying, and have ABSOLUTELY no chance of EVER recovering to the point of returning to independant living ?
I think you must be thinking of younger people, who have coice with their use / misuse of both prescribed and non prescibed medication.
There is a BIG difference ….
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As an aged care Nurse I see first hand how under nourished our residents are.
Sometimes its because they are asleep and miss out on meal times, and due to health rules the food can not be kept and heated up.
Othertimes its because they are on far too much medication and can not eat due to side effects.
Then other times its because the food is not fit for eating.
The issue with food is only one among many.
Nancy Brown – Nursing Issues.
All aged care homes must provide a specified range of care and services at no additional cost to residents. These requirements vary according to whether the resident has ‘low-care’ (more information) or ‘high-care’ (more information) needs. There are some specified care and services that all residents receive and additional ones that are provided for high-level care residents.
If you are unsure of whether you are receiving high-level care or low-level care, ask the manager of the aged care home.
The specified care and services that must be provided by the aged care home at no additional cost are listed below. If a home provides the required range of specified care and services but the resident would like certain other brands, or has individual specific needs, then the home does not have to cover the cost of those products.
Useful blog, go to “nursingstikes”, “stikeshealthnurse”, “http://stikeshealthnurse.blogspot.com”
I am a nurse in the U.S. and a lot of time in elder care is spent feeding and/or encouraging the elder patients to eat. Are they not woken up and assisted in feeding in Australia? Also, is it common to use nutritional supplements? We often provide high protein drinks to people who have little or no appetite. What is done for a patient who does not eat?
How fast is the geriatric population growing over there? Are the elderly valued for being a wealth of knowledge and historians?
Is geriatrics taught in nursing school as a specialty? Do you think that people in aged care might receive more comprehensive care if it was?
If a home provides the required range of specified care and services but the resident would like certain other brands, or has individual specific needs, then the home does not have to cover the cost of those products.
Lisa,
In response to your questions …
Yes, Geriatrics is taught in pre-registration and post-graduate courses in Australia. Yes, we use products like 2-CAL for high protein substitute. Waking people up is assessed on a case by case situation.
We have an extensive system and network of both Govt. and non Govt. ( NGO ) agencies keeping a very close eye of the Aged Care system in Australia. I fact, we think we do it better than in the USA !!
In general, each person should be assessed as an individual. Care can not be provided as a ‘one service covers all’ model. Some people need more food, others less. Some people need more sleep, others less. etc. etc.