Review calls for action on nutrition in care homes
- Published: 25 June 2008 11:13
- Author: Clare Lomas
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- Last Updated: 25 June 2008 13:13
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Measures need to be taken to prevent and treat undernutrition in residents of care homes, says a European panel of nutrition experts.
A literature review revealed that up to 65% of care home residents suffer from malnutrition, increasing the risk of infection, hospitalisation, morbidity and mortality.
The panel said nutritional strategies need to be implemented at European and national level, including nutritional risk assessments, improved oral health and special nutritional training for healthcare professionals.
'Undernutrition in care home settings is an unrecognised problem with significant consequences,' they said online in the journal Clinical Nutrition. 'Global rise of awareness is the best option to promote a continuum of nutrition care at home and in the hospital.'
