Malnutrition in the elderly.

• Malnutrition in the elderly is a fatal syndrome.

• Malnutrition in the elderly leads to serious complications and early death in the elderly.

• Malnutrition in the elderly is a common cause of early nursing home admission.

• Malnutrition in the elderly is grossly under-diagnosed and under-treated.

• Studies have shown that geriatric malnutrition is commonly ignored and under-recognised in the acute and chronic hospital setting and in nursing homes. 

• Loss of appetite in elderly person and loss of appetite with old age are always caused by underlying serious medical problems and by “old age” itself.

• What to do when an older person won’t eat, when an older person refuses to eat, when an elderly person doesn’t want to eat, and elderly not eating properly- they must have a proper medical diagnosis and a holistic multidisciplinary medical treatment plan.

• Loss of appetite in older adults and symptoms of malnutrition in adults can be successfully treated if diagnosed accurately.

• Malnutrition in the elderly is such a common problem leading to potentially catastrophic complications and outcomes, yet it is easily fixed but is still commonly ignored by families, Doctors and hospitals.

• Malnutrition in the elderly is treatable and reversible with holistic multidisciplinary medical care. 

• Over 50% of acute geriatric medical hospitalised patients and nursing home patients have some form of significant malnutrition.  The prevalence of this problem in community living elderly over 70 years of age is at least 30%. 

For more information read Dr Peter Lipski’s book “Your Elderly Parents Failing Health. Is It Ageing Or A Treatable Condition”.