Malnutrition Awareness Week Oct. 5-9, 2020, seeks to bring awareness, prompt discussion of food insecurity

This week (Oct. 5-9) is National Malnutrition Awareness Week.

South Dakota Department of Human Services Secretary Shawnie Rechtenbaugh says older adults are at a higher risk of malnutrition because of age, medications and food insecurity. She says during the COVID-19 pandemic, social isolation has contributed to an even greater risk of malnutrition in older adults.

Rechtenbaugh says despite the recognized link between good nutrition and good health, nutrition screening and intervention have not been systemically incorporated across the continuum of care. Each day, approximately 15,000 hospital patients with malnutrition go undiagnosed. She says patients with malnutrition have higher hospital costs, longer stays and increased mortality.

For more information on MAW, please visit http://www.nutritioncare.org/maw/.