MALNOURISHED AND DON’T KNOW IT

Researchers were surprised to find that more than half of the adults 65 and older who turned up in one emergency room were either malnourished or at risk for malnutrition. They found that 22 of the 138 adults examined (16%) were malnourished, and 17 of the 22 had never before received a diagnosis of malnutrition, even though almost everyone in the study had a primary care physician. Overall, 83 of the adults studied (60%) qualified as either malnourished or at risk for malnutrition.  How could that happen? Depression was a big factor: 52% of the adults found to be malnourished had symptoms of depression. But 33% reported difficulty simply buying groceries, a problem that probably could be alleviated by greater access to food stamps and food charities,

Difficulty eating, usually because of tooth pain or denture problems, was found in 38% of the malnourished.

Source: Tampa Bay Times, 12/10/14, Malnourished Seniors