ABSTRACT
Bond (1997) asserts that malnourishment is an overall term that encompasses:
What do you think might prevent Miss West, Phillip and Mr Cooper from meeting their nutritional needs?
ACTIVITY
Miss West may not be physically able to feed herself as her weak right arm will cause
difficulty manipulating eating utensils. Her dentures do not fit properly, which will
affect her eating. It seems that although she can swallow she has lost interest in
food. There could be many factors causing this, for example depression or dislike
of hospital food. As she is partially sighted she may not be able to see her food
or utensils well. According to the Stroke Association (2006) there has been little
research done into taste loss after stroke (termed dysgeusia). Perhaps this is because
taste is a relatively simple process and taste information does not appear to be vital
to human survival. A loss of taste, however, can make a big difference to the quality
of life, and people find it is a distressing and unexpected after-effect of a stroke.
