Fighting Senior Malnutrition

Malnutrition is one of the leading causes of premature death and illness amongst the senior population within the United States. Poor diet has been linked with an increase in the negative impact of other diseases, too. For example, eating poorly can help lead to poor heart health and intensify the impact that a heart attack could have. Fighting bad nutrition or a lack of nutrients is much easier than fighting advanced heart disease. Working with a doctor to help rectify this issue before it worsens is always the smartest choice. It also happens to be a lot harder than it first appears.

 

This is where senior care can step in. A trained senior caregiver will know how to recognize the signs of malnutrition and know which steps to take to help. Again, this isn’t always so easy.

 

Unfortunately, there is a strong link between malnutrition and a lack of independence. Seniors that have poor dietary habits are more likely to need senior care and find themselves in a nursing home. It also has an association with a lower overall perceived quality of life. People who are malnourished tend to need a lot of extra help to get through each day in a safe manner. If this is true, then it stands to reason that better diets can help to minimize these issues.

 

Luckily, awareness of this issue continues to grow. The prevalence of malnutrition in the senior community is not as bad as it once was, but it is still a major issue. Even though there is quite a bit of awareness concerning this topic, there is still a lot of room for improvement when it comes to ensuring that older adults are getting the nutrients that they need to stay healthy and fight off illness. As we bring attention to the issue here, our hope is that you and your family members will also become more aware of this issue. Having a loved one in the household who is aware of health risks like this can be a good first step toward helping your loved one to live a better life.

 

Fighting senior malnutrition can bring about increased health in other areas, too.

 

Some of the most common reasons why malnutrition occurs includes a lack of awareness or education, a lack of good information on the behalf of family members or caregivers, and a lack of experience in those that are providing care. Fortunately, these common causes all have solutions available. The hard part is finding a way to effectively implement it. Finding a caregiver that knows your loved one’s situation and can adapt to meet their needs can be a good way to get started in the combat of this problem.

 

Think about it like this: if increased awareness can help to reverse the problem, there are likely whole host of health problems that can be avoided or see their severity reduced. If this is the case with your loved one, then the odds of a dependence on senior care or even premature mortality go down a little. If helping someone eat better can save their life, why wouldn’t you want to be aware of the problem?

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