Insight Good nutritional habits never get old. Yet malnutrition is a serious health problem among the nation's elderly, according to a recent survey of health professionals specializing in elder care. The survey of 750 physicians, nurses and administrators of health care institutions, found that one in four elderly patients is malnourished. One-half of all elderly hospital patients and 40 percent of nursing home residents are believed to suffer from malnutrition. Posner, Assistant Director for Research at Boston University and NSI spokesperson, said that many elderly have unmet health needs, which affect their nutritional status.
Depression also can affect their nutritional status.
To identify those at risk of malnutrition, Posner said nutrition screening should be routinely incorporated into medical examinations. A nutrition screen can range from a simple review of weight, height, skin tone, diet, living conditions and behavior, to blood tests and sophisticated assessment techniques. A self-administered checklist is available from NSI to spot eating problems, economic hardship and other conditions affecting nutritional status. Among the primary reasons many elderly become malnourished are losses in their senses of taste and smell, according to Susan Schiffman, Ph.D., professor of medical psychology at Duke University Medical Center. Declines in taste and smell usually begin around 60 years of age and become more pronounced in subsequent decades of life.