Nursing
Home Administrators:
Administrators
in Long Term Care (LTC), welcome to the National Policy & Resource
Center on Nutrition & Aging, Long Term Care Institute.
How
severe is the problem of malnutrition and dehydration?
-
It
is estimated that 35-85% of long term care residents are at risk for
malnutrition and dehydration - LA Times, 2001 -
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About
50% of elderly Medicare beneficiaries hospitalized with dehydration
died within a year of admission - Am J Public Health, 1994 -
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Pressure
ulcers, a problem clearly associated with protein-calorie malnutrition,
have been reported to be between 15 and 25% for residents admitted
to LTC facilities, and the longer a resident stays in a nursing home,
the greater the likelihood of developing an ulcer
- Geriatric Medicine, Mayo Clinic Web Site, 2001 -
-
7
out of 10 nursing home residents fail to finish 75% of their food,
and inadequate food intake is a major determinant of mortality in
the frail elderly in nursing homes
- UCLA's Borun Center on Aging -
-
1996
data showed that 208,000 hospitalized patients above the age of 65
had a primary diagnosis of dehydration, average length of stay 5.8
days - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/National Center
for Health Statistics, 1998 -
-
The
cost of resources needed to heal one pressure ulcer ranges from $10,000
- $40,000 - Heart and Lung, 1988 -
-
Government
programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid, pay for the care given to
nearly 70% of the 1.5 million nursing home patients in the US - CNN/Associated
Press, 2001 -
-
The
number of lawsuits against nursing homes has increased 9% nationally
each year in the last five years, while the average amount of claims
has risen from $64,015 to $112,351
- California Healthline, 2000 -
-
Use
of relevant staff education programs which address nutrition and hydration
as a facility wide issue
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Implementation
of validated systems and programs developed for interdisciplinary
staff
-
More
time spent by dietitians in nursing homes
Residents
-
Reduce
incidence of unintended weight loss
-
Improve
hydration status
-
Improve
prevention and healing of pressure ulcers
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Decrease
readmissions to the hospital
Staff/Facility
-
Improve
staff education
-
Improve
nutrition and hydration systems
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Decrease
number and severity of citations related to weight loss, dehydration,
and resident dining
-
Decrease
cost of litigation and liability insurance premiums
The
National Policy & Resource Center on Nutrition & Aging has
made available a variety of free downloadable
materials for use in Long Term Care facilities. The Center's
Long Term Care Institute has developed programs and tools to improve
nutrition and hydration systems in nursing homes. These materials include
educational tools in English, Spanish and Creole languages for interdisciplinary
staff, How-To Guide for development of an interdisciplinary dining program
and validated system for accurately recording residents' food and fluid
intake. Please share this information with the members of your interdisciplinary
team including nursing, food service and rehabilitation departments.
 Click
here to visit the materials page.
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