Argumentative Essay on the Causes of Malnutrition in Nursing Homes
Nursing home malnutrition causes
The dietary branch is the second most crucial department after nursing services in nursing homes, but it is also one of the least established. A study was conducted to learn how healthcare professionals perceive nutritional competencies and documentation in nursing homes, using two focus groups of 14 healthcare professionals each (Hakonsen et al., 2019). The investigation looked into five major causes of such nutritional issues. A lack of organized communication among healthcare professionals was the first category. The staff does not take seriously taking documentation procedures such as daily monitoring, updating, and communicating about the residents’ nutritional information with other healthcare professionals. This impacts not only nutritional care practices but also the continuity of care, transparency among staff, and staff performance. For example, suppose a nurse documents incorrectly or fails to inform the other nurse about a resident’s 5-meal diet plan. Due to written and oral discrepancies, the resident may receive less nutrition (3-meal diet plan). The second category explained that healthcare professionals regard nutrition as merely a “form of food service” and thus disregard the USDA and DHHS dietary guidelines. The third category states that the quality and service of nutritional care are highly dependent on the professionals’ interests and attitudes. If the staff is uninterested in the first place, they will fail to meet the nutritional needs of the residents, contributing to malnutrition. According to the fourth category, a lack of nutritional care responsibilities among healthcare professionals hurts the quality of care. One member of Focus Group 2 stated that the issue is not the availability of officials but rather “… whom you should contact if an issue arises..” (Hakonsen et al., 2019). The final category states that there is also a lack of clinical leadership because there is no training or education for staff about proper nutritional care. In a nutshell, three major causes can be identified:
A lack of documentation and communication among healthcare providers
A personal attitude toward nutritional care
A lack of leadership in nutritional care management
Nursing homes also face staffing and food service challenges, two other factors contributing to malnutrition. A survey of nurses and nursing assistants discovered that approximately 93% of nurses and 73% of nursing assistants agreed that residents were denied appropriate nutrition when the nursing staff was low. There was no one to assist them (Crogan & Evans, 2001). It is also claimed that most nursing homes fail to meet the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services’ staffing levels (CMS). As the number of people attending the resident’s decreases, so does their meal time and assistance with meal services. Nutrition for residents who require only feeding assistance may be jeopardized due to a lack of staffing. As a result, residents will receive insufficient nutrition, increasing the likelihood of further malnutrition.
On October 6, 2019, we visited Parker Health in New Brunswick, NJ, as part of our Long-Term Care Management class. We were given a tour of the facility and had the opportunity to interact with a few residents. We asked one of the residents in the dining room, “What don’t you like about this place?”. “The food,” she replied quickly. It does not taste perfect.” Later, after researching what she said, I discovered that this is a widespread problem in all nursing homes. Residents frequently complain about the food’s taste, quality, and appearance. The food is frequently bland, overcooked or undercooked and does not appear homely. Food is the one thing that residents look forward to when they are in a nursing home away from home. They are more likely to not eat in appropriate quantities if they do not receive homelike food.
Furthermore, nursing homes reduce prices by reducing the availability of food options (Crogan & Evans, 2001). Because of these factors, residents consume less nutrition, increasing their risk of malnutrition. The following section discusses some initiatives that can be implemented to prevent malnutrition in nursing homes.