One in three institutionalised old people suffer from malnutrition
The elderly need higher-energy food
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One in three residents of homes for the elderly suffer from insufficient nutrition.
Project planner Merja Suominen of the Central Union for the Welfare of the Aged says that old people are not being deliberately deprived of food. In her view, the problem is that institutions caring for old people apply nutritional standards recommended for the population at large. As old people tend to eat less than others, they do not get enough energy in their diet.
Suominen says that it is more important for senior citizens to get sufficient energy than for the food to fulfil the criteria of a traditional balanced diet.
"In meals for the elderly it is possible, and recommendable, to compromise on nutrition standards recommended for the general public. The easiest way to increase the energy level of food is by adding fat. Butter can be added to porridge, and oil added to salads. Vegetables can be served with an oil-based sauce. Ice cream is a good dessert, cream can be added to coffee instead of skim milk. Favourite foods and even chocolate are all right, and for restlessness at night, a light snack can be better than a sleeping pill."
Suominen adds that ordinary foods can be modified to increase the energy and nutrient content.
With certain dietary supplements, even a dementia patient who takes just a few reluctant bites of a meal can get enough energy.
Suominen is the head of a three-year project on nutrition for the aged, which began at the beginning of the year. The goal is to make the evaluation of nutrition a natural part of care and rehabilitation of the elderly. Suominen travels around the country training nutrition educators for institutions caring for the aged.
She feels that care personnel do not get enough basic education in nutrition, and that they often think that the old people under their care eat more than they actually do.
"Correct nutrition for old people requires individual assessments. The documentation of nutrition with follow-ups is important both for patients and for relatives."
Suominen says that the elderly should maintain their body weight, and that even a moderate weight gain is nothing to be scared of.
"Weight loss decreases muscle tissue, which weakens the old person. The elderly do not recover from the reduction of muscle tissue in the way that young people do, which is why weight loss is risky for the elderly. Malnutrition also increases susceptibility to infections."
Helsingin Sanomat
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| 1.9.2005 - TODAY |
 One in three institutionalised old people suffer from malnutrition
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