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Although this is about nursing homes in Britain, the same issues occur here in American nursing homes.

THOUSANDS of elderly people living in care homes are at serious risk of malnutrition, it is claimed.

Official inspection teams found more than 2,000 care homes for the elderly failed last year to meet minimum requirements for nutrition.

The shocking failings reinforce earlier findings that almost a third of residents are clinically malnourished.

The Government standards apply to both privately-run and state- owned care homes, which are subject to annual checks by the Commission for Social Care Inspection.

More than 250 care homes failed to meet required standards by a ’significant degree’ last year, with a further 1,842 homes narrowly failing to reach the standards.

Altogether, one in five care homes in England was classified as not up to scratch. Earlier this month, research by the British Association for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (BAPEN) estimated one in three residents of care homes is ‘clinically malnourished’.

Poor quality food and eating too little often because elderly people need help at mealtimes led to a range of health problems, said Professor Marinos Elia, chairman of BAPEN and one of the UK’s leading specialists.

He said malnutrition in longterm care homes costs the UK at least Pounds 2.6billion a year in remedial treatment. These new figures show the scale of the problem in this developed “land of plenty”,’ he said.

‘Around 30 per cent of patients in nursing and care homes are clinically malnourished, and it is likely to be much higher if you look at criteria such as vitamin levels.

‘It doesn’t take much for an elderly person to become undernourished but the consequences are serious.

‘They lose their strength and this has an impact on their ability to remain independent, as well as affecting mood, wellbeing and levels of anxiety.’ The latest figures, revealed in a parliamentary written answer, show that 255 homes about one in 50 failed to meet national minimum standards in 2004/05.

These included essential criteria for meals and mealtimes, such as three full meals a day, regular drinks and snacks, and special diets where necessary.

Mealtimes are supposed to be unhurried and staff should be ready to offer help where necessary to help maintain independent eating by residents.

Altogether 1,842 care homes one in six were judged to have ‘almost met’ the standard. The bulk of the remaining 8,259 care homes met the standard with 942 exceeding it.

Liberal Democrat Paul Burstow, who obtained the latest statistics, said it was ’shocking’ that almost one in five care homes did not meet even the ‘most basic of meal standards’.

He said that older people needed the same attention that Jamie Oliver’s school meals campaign had got for pupils.

He said: ‘It is a scandal that the Government does not even seem to know or care about the quality of food in care homes, but if independent research is true, urgent action is needed to put in place tough nutritional standards for care homes.’ A spokesman for the Department of Health said: ‘ Improving health and social care for older people is a priority area and we have invested in better services for older people.

‘The Commission for Social Care Inspection regulates care homes to make sure that they provide for the needs of their residents and will take swift action where inspectors have any concerns about the welfare of residents.’

CASE STUDY

ADA Birchall died in hospital weighing just three stone after her health collapsed at a councilrun care home.

The 91-year-old former mill worker, pictured above, was described by her family as looking like a ‘bag of bones’.

Her dramatic weight loss began after she was admitted to Butler Green House in Chadderton, Greater Manchester.

Her nephew, John Marsh, said she had severe arthritis but was free of any other disease and had always eaten healthily and looked after herself before entering the home.

But after six years at Butler Green House she weighed just 3st 12lb and had to be moved to the Royal Oldham Hospital.

By then she was unable to tolerate food. She would not be fed through a tube and died the following month, September 1999.

At an inquest her death was put down to bronchial pneumonia caused by malnutrition. An independent inquiry cleared the care home of any blame.