Potential Negative Consequences COVID has on Residents

Potential Negative Consequences COVID has on Residents

During these difficult times, we know that COVID has a lot of negative effects on nutritional quality of life. Nutritional status and quality of life well can affect residents’ intake. We know it is important for your residents to continue getting their nutritional needs met as well as maintaining body weight, here are some of the more specific negative consequences COVID-19 has on our elderly residents:

  • Potential Negative Consequences COVID-19 has on ResidentsIf you have a upper respiratory infection, it may effect your intake
  • Causes under-nutrition acutely. 
  • Promote depression 
  • Immobility for weakness
  • Dehydration, for lack of feeling like drinking. 
  • Declining strength reduction in lean body, mass, severe inflammation. This is an inflammatory disease process, involuntary weight loss unpredictably.
  • For months and months residents, young people and many people that have had COVID have taste disorders for long periods of time – your olfactory buds are little live tissues, they sort of look like a light bulb, and when they are damaged it can take months to restore. During this time, the food for these residents may truly taste like straw.
  • Edema 
  • Isolation
  • Dysphagia – you lose 5% of your weight as an elderly person, your chance of dysphagia goes up 80%!
  • Increase difficulty managing blood sugar for chronic diabetes, etc., 
  • GI distress, acute and long term. 
  • Both nausea and vomiting
  • Increased GERD and diarrhea.

 These are all consequences or potential consequences of COVID-19 for our residents. It is important now to take action against these negative consequences and adjust our plans to continue meeting nutritional needs any way we can. Remember, the Nutritional Lifestyles team is here to assist you any way possible! Contact us and check out our latest webinar for more information on satisfying your residents during the pandemic!

Nutritious Lifestyles Webinars