Covering:
   • What is malnutrition
   • Common signs and symptoms of malnutrition 
   • Why older people are more at risk of malnutrition 
   • What to do if someone is malnourished
   • Daily living equipment and technology that can help with preparing 
    meals and eating food
   • Support in Staffordshire
         Malnutrition – The Facts:
         •   Losing weight as we get older is not part of the ‘normal ageing process’.  
         •   Poor nutrition (malnutrition) could be to blame. 
         •   Malnutrition is a serious condition.  It is caused by a lack of nutrients in our 
             diet, either due to a poor diet or problems absorbing nutrients from our food. 
         •   In the UK, over a million people over 65 suffer from malnutrition.  Most of 
             these people live in their own home.
         •   Being malnourished can make medicine less effective.  Making it harder to 
             recover from illness. 
         •   Malnourished people see their GP more often.  They go to hospital more often 
             and stay in hospital for longer.
        Signs and symptoms of malnutrition:
        •   Unplanned weight loss (causing clothes, dentures, belts or 
            jewellery to become loose)
        •   Low body weight
        •   Lack of interest in eating or drinking
        •   Tiredness
        •   Muscle weakness (increasing the risk of falls)
        •   Feeling down or feeling like they ‘can’t be bothered’
        •   Getting ill more often and taking longer to recover
        •   Confusion and forgetfulness
        •   Feeling cold and finding it harder to warm up 
 Why older people are more at risk of malnutrition:
   Activity:
   • Think about the different factors (physical and social) that can make 
    older people more at risk of malnutrition.
   • Think of some ideas to help address these issues.
   • Feedback.
   Why older people are more at risk of malnutrition:
     There are many factors that can make older people more at risk of malnutrition, 
     including:
     •    Reduced appetite
     •    Reduced sense of taste and smell
     •    Gum shrinkage
     •    Dry mouth
     •    Difficulty digesting food
     •    Ability and manual dexterity (moving your hands)
     •    Motivation
     These will now be discussed in more detail…