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What are the top signs of malnutrition?
Good nutrition is essential to living a happy and healthy life. Unfortunately, there are times when malnutrition can cause a variety of health concerns. This can occur in people of all ages, with many older adults running into this problem.
If a loved one resides in a nursing home facility, it’s important to ensure that they’re eating a healthy and balanced diet. If they’re not, the following signs of malnutrition could come to light:
- Weight loss: This is the primary sign of malnutrition. You may notice it if your loved one’s clothes have become too big for them or you can more easily see their bones through their skin.
- Poor healing: Malnutrition often increases healing time, which is more noticeable in older individuals.
- A lack of appetite: As malnutrition advances, it’s easy to believe that a person will have a bigger appetite. However, the exact opposite often happens.
Some of the many health problems caused by malnutrition include:
- Weakened immune system, which increases the risk of more medical problems
- Increased risk of hospitalization
- Muscle weakness
- Increased risk of death
There are times when malnutrition is related to deteriorating health. There are also times when this is caused by negligence, such as in a nursing home.
If you have any reason to believe a loved one is suffering from malnutrition, don’t hesitate to take action. For example, if the person isn’t being fed on time and in the appropriate manner at a nursing home, find a new facility. From there, learn more about what went wrong and the legal steps you can take to hold the facility responsible.
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