Nine out of ten municipalities in Gävleborg lack a nutritionist – Leosan

Swedes are getting older. The number of people over the age of 60 has increased by 65 percent since the beginning of the 1970s, and the increase has been greater for those over the age of 90, whose number today more than doubles. Of Gavleborg's approximately 287,000 residents, about 71,000 are over 65 years old.

Malnutrition is a common and serious problem as we age. Illness, disability, and medications can affect appetite, taste, smell, energy, nutritional needs, and the ability to eat. Loneliness also affects our appetite.

More than half of risk assessments in aged care show a risk of malnutrition. Although there are effective measures that can be implemented, many municipalities today lack in-depth competence. Of the ten municipalities in the province, only Gävle has a nutritionist, according to the municipality's network of nutritionists.

In the past decade, the number of dieticians working in the municipality has halved, and not all of them work in elderly care. SKR statistics show that barely every fifth municipality in Sweden currently has a dietitian on staff, and every third lacks access to licensed healthcare personnel with in-depth expertise in the prevention and treatment of malnutrition.

Malnutrition causes great human suffering. It also has major health and economic consequences. Low muscle mass, increased risk of falls, and poor wound healing are partly symptoms of malnutrition, and partly risk factors for accidents, illness and poor health. Therefore, it is important to detect and treat the risk of malnutrition early.

Treating malnutrition requires collaboration between dietitians and other professions, where everyone can contribute their specialized skills to get the best possible care. A dietitian's unique knowledge of nutritional measures is an essential element.

With more dietitians in municipalities, our seniors can enjoy a better quality of life and better health care. It saves money and unnecessary suffering.

Access to in-depth competencies for malnutrition prevention and treatment in municipalities should be organized and followed up at the national level so that more municipalities have an incentive to employ nutritionists.

Kjell Olsson, President of the Professional Association Dietisternas riksförbund and Frida Laoinius, Director of the Naturvetarna Association