Skip to main content RSS Info Close Search Facebook Twitter
Location
Category
Providers / Vacancies
Feedback

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”.

Share this article

Read next

Subscribe

Subscribe to our Talking Aged Care newsletter to get our latest articles, delivered straight to your inbox
  1. Eighty years after getting married, this couple lives together...
  2. Who says your age should limit your dreams?
  3. Data from a recently released report highlights a concerning...
  4. With an ageing and growing population, data from the...
  5. Approximately 411,000 Australians are estimated to be living...
  6. How could you benefit from attending university as an older...

Recent articles

  1. Are there options for older Australians to live in the same...
  2. The new initiative brings older Aussies together to see the...
  3. A collaboration between Dementia Australia and VistaPrint...
  4. How can you look after yourself during the expected heatwaves...
  5. How is an interactive app being used in aged care settings to...
  6. How could the upcoming strengthening of super standards save...
  7. Brother Thomas Oliver Pickett, a Western Australian volunteer,...
  8. Why is an illegal website targeting older Australians?
  9. Eighty years after getting married, this couple lives together...
  10. How does heart health impact your risk of dementia?
  11. Instead of going to the hospital, could older Australians...
  12. Recent data indicates changes in the current COVID-19...
  1. {{ result.posted_at | timeago }}

Sorry, no results were found
Perhaps you misspelled your search query, or need to try using broader search terms.
Please type a topic to search
Some frequently searched topics are "dementia", "elderly" etc
Close