Malnutrition…. At large Scale. effect’cause

FRESH CONCERN OVER MALNUTRITION IN
SOUTH-WEST IS RAISED BY UNICEF
UNICEF Has Expressed Fresh Concern Of The Level
Of Malnutrition In The South-west Geo-political
Zone And Attributed The Situation To Poor
Adherence To Exclusive Breast Feeding (EBF).
THE UNICEF Communication Specialist, Mr Geoffrey
Njoku, Expressed The Concern In Ibadan At The
Opening Of Media Dialogue On Child Malnutrition.
The Theme Of The Conference Is, “good Nutrition,
Invest More. According To Njoku, The Assumption
That Malnutrition Is Only In The Northern Part Of
Nigeria Is Not True And Misleading.
The Communication Expert , Quoting A 2013 Survey,
Said That The South-west Had 22 Per Cent Stunted
Children Under The Age Of Five.
He Said Malnurition Was A National Problem.
Njoku, Who Narrated His Owerri Hometown
Experience In Imo, Said Studies Had Shown That 13
Per Cent Of Children Born To Rich Families Also
Suffered Malnutrition.
The Communication Officer Of Unicef, Mrs Blessing
Ejiofor, Said Media Coalition Against Malnutrition
Was Aimed At Creating Opportunities For Media
Advocacy On Child Nutrition Through Sensitisation.
“it Also Provides Media Partners With The
Knowledge And Materials To Support Advocacy For
Child Nutrition, Acquaint The Media With Malnutrition
Situation In Nigeria With Particular Reference To
Child Malnutrition, “she Said.
Mrs Ogunbumi Omotayo From The Federal Ministry
Of Health Said “nigeria Has The Highest Number Of
Stunted Children Under Age Five In Sub-saharan
Africa

Reasons for Malnutrition of
Elderly in Nursing Homes
Even with raised awareness, malnutrition continues
to be a problem. Lack of proper care, poor training,
high nursing home employment turnovers, and
other factors contribute to the problem. However,
it’s the shortage of staff in an overwhelming amount
of nursing that seems to be the biggest problem.
According to federal nursing home laws, one
certified nursing home assistant (CNA) should
ideally help up to three residents during a work
shift. Yet, the reality is that one CNA is typically
helping over 10 residents at any given time. This
sort of difficult working environment has caused the
turnover rate in nursing homes to be over 90%
annually.
In addition, residents with cognitive and emotional
problems experience higher than average problems
with eating on schedule and maintaining their
weight. It takes hands-on, quality care on the part
of the nursing home to ensure these residents are
getting the adequate nutrition that they need.
Nursing Home Malnutrition Facts
and Statistics
Malnutrition affects up to 85% of nursing home
residents at some point during their stay at a
nursing home facility.
Oral health, satiety, taste and smell changes,
physical impairments, and mental stability can all be
affected if a victim suffers from malnutrition.
Malnutrition increases the risk for serious
infections, extended hospital stays, and early
deaths in the elderly.
Malnutrition is frequently misdiagnosed or
undiagnosed in nursing homes as nurses and other
healthcare professionals are not properly assessing
the victim.
Malnutrition Side Effects
In addition to being a harm unto itself, malnutrition in
the elderly causes a number of other health-related
side effects. These include:
Dull eyes
Pale skin, lips, or mouth
Poor skin elasticity
Confusion and disorientation
Edema in lower arms and legs
Dry tongue, cracked areas around the mouth, and
swollen lips
Hair thinning and/or loss
Unusual weight loss
Wounds that take longer than usual to heal
Rapid deterioration of health
Death
With the large occurrences of malnutrition
happening in nursing homes, nutritional
professionals advise regular nutritional screenings
by qualified healthcare staff, such as dietitians and
physicians. As previously mentioned, the lack of
medical assessments and screenings in nursing
homes is one of the reasons the disease goes
undiagnosed and misdiagnosed in nursing homes
and assisted living facilities.