Eating properly can be a serious issue facing seniors who choose to age at home. Planning and preparing meals and cooking them for one or two gets more difficult over time, especially if there is little joy around the actual event of sitting down and eating. Why the concern? Malnourished elderly are:
- 2 times more likely to visit the doctor
- 3 times more likely to be hospitalized
- 2 to10 times more likely to die earlier than if they were well-nourished
Additionally, they will suffer from diminished muscle strength and poor healing. In fact, malnutrition is a greater threat than obesity.
Weight loss, lack of appetite and low energy signal the need for a nutritional screening to determine if there is a potential problem. The purpose of a nutritional screening is to identify early signs of malnutrition and prevent it from becoming a major co-factor in organ dysfunction, morbidity and mortality.
Click here to download a complimentary nutritional screening tool, and then seek medical assistance if a nutritional assessment is needed. At Live Free Home Health Care, servicing Concord New Hampshire and the rest of the Lakes region and central New Hampshire, we not only can provide tasty and nutritious meals for one or two persons, but can provide complete nutritional counseling as well. Call us today at (603) 217-0149 for further information.