ABSTRACT
Eating and drinking is basic to sustaining life. Withdrawing food and fluid leads to starvation and dehydration, and death ensues fairly quickly as bodily processes shut down due to lack of fuel and fluids. Due to the essential role of nutrition and hydration in sustaining life, nutrition should be a high priority in residential aged-care facilities. Most facilities have other clinical concerns that compete for priority, but clinical outcomes improve significantly when proper attention is paid to nutritional needs.
