Half of those in care malnourished
A senior Australian dietitian says up to half of people in aged care homes and up to 40% of people in hospitals are malnourished. Dr Merrilyn Banks from the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital spoke about the issue at a conference in Darwin.
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”.
