Marjolein Visser intends to raise awareness of the issue so that caregivers will screen for malnutrition more frequently, particularly in older persons who are more vulnerable.
The number of elderly people living at home into their old age are increasing. As a cause, there is less visibility on these elderly people, and especially on their nutrition. The study led by Visser aimed to determine both the number of elderly people in Nederland who are malnourished and which vulnerable groups are most at risk.
APH researcher Yaren Zügül (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam) examined data from two projects involving 1,745 persons aged 65 and up: the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam (LASA) and the Dutch National Food Consumption Survey. To screen for malnutrition, the participants completed a questionnaire created by the VU Amsterdam Department of Health Sciences. This showed that the rate of malnutrition was 8.5%, or one in every twelve participants. The malnutrition rate was higher in certain elderly groups, including women, those with mobility impairments, and those over 85 with poor appetites, with one in five experiencing malnutrition.
We must change the idea that malnutrition in elderly people living at home is unimportant.
Visser hopes to raise awareness of malnutrition among elderly people. She states that elderly people, particularly those at risk of malnutrition, should be better screened and treated. With just a few questions, screening is already possible. After a brief training, all types of care workers who visit the elderly, such as physiotherapists and home care workers, but also welfare workers, can help spot malnutrition.
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