Proper nutrition is essential for maintaining your health, particularly as you begin to age. When an elderly person becomes malnourished it can lead to a variety of ailments including infections confusion and weakness. Their immune system will be come weaker and this can result in pressure sores, pneumonia, and make them susceptible to other viruses. Malnutrition can greatly decrease the resident's quality of life, which is unfortunate because it is typically avoidable.

There are times when a resident may be reluctant to eat. It is important for the nursing home to recognize the loss of appetite and ensure the patient is getting the proper amount of food. Also the nursing home should look for alternative ways to maintain an appropriate diet. There are many reasons why a patient/resident may lose their appetite or are unable to eat.

Physical Causes

• Adverse drug effects such as vomiting, diarrhea, nausea or sleepiness


• The inability of the body to absorb vitamins and minerals due to drug interactions


• Depression


• Sickness


• Swallowing disorders


• Issues with the resident's mouth such as sores, tooth loss, denture problems or other mouth pain


• Inability to feed themselves

Environmental Causes

• Improperly trained staff who don't recognize the resident's need for feeding help.


• Too much reliance on liquid supplements.


• Failure of the staff to monitor and record the dietary intake.

Signs of Malnutrition

Following are some observations you can make to help determine if your loved one is suffering from malnutrition:

• Lips and mouth look pale


• Dentures no longer fit


• Cracking around the mouth


• Easy bruising or wounds take longer to heal


• Appears confused


• Skin breaking down


• Eyes look sunken


• Losing weight

Related practice areas: Failure to Treat & Diagnose, Hospital Infections