BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Malnutrition may not be a leading cause of death for older citizens but the rates of death, especially among Californians 85 and older, have more than doubled in recent years. That rate increases even more when you take a look at Kern County.
“If you’re seeing the person losing weight, if you’re seeing that they’re becoming dehydrated, those are all factors that could lead to the whole malnutrition aspect of things," said Jeremy Oliver, Director of Aging and Adult Services for Kern County.
Malnutrition and nutrient deficiencies are a common albeit frequently overlooked occurrence among our aging population, that’s according to the National Library of Medicine. However, during the pandemic, the rate of seniors in California who's death was attributed to malnutrition rose from 648 in 2018 to 1,406 in 2022. Experts attribute fear of crowded spaces and going in public as a potential cause for that increase.
“We’ve definitely seen COVID be a factor for a lot of our seniors," Oliver said. "It obviously impacted our nutrition programs across the board. So congregate dining, not as many people willing to stay there and eat."
Even though many restrictions in place due to the pandemic have been lifted, malnutrition continues to rise. According to preliminary death certificate data from the California Department of Public Health, in Kern County the number of deaths attributed to malnutrition among those 85 and older was 27 in 2022. That number nearly triple, or possibly greater, than reports from 2018 to 2021, since the department doesn’t report an exact number if the total is less than 11.
“Due to people’s financial issues that may be a factor as to why they don’t go out and purchase food. If they have any mobility issues, they’re not able to get up and go out and do shopping, that may be a factor," Oliver said. “A good kind of rule of thumb is to kind of do a check of the house right? See what they have in their cupboards, if they have a lot in their refrigerator or if they have a little."
Malnutrition doesn’t only mean a lack of food — but the right food — which is why Aging and Adult Services provides healthy options for our seniors. Programs like Meals on Wheels and the Seniors Farmers Market. You can get connected to these programs and more at their website here.
