
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: MONDAY, April 26, 1993                   TAG: 9304260032
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: WASHINGTON                                LENGTH: Short

SURVEY: 1 IN 4 ELDERLY PATIENTS MALNOURISHED

Doctors and nurses say one-fourth of their elderly patients are malnourished, according to a nationwide survey to be released today.

Poorly nourished older patients have longer and more expensive hospital stays and are twice as likely to develop costly complications, said the report being released by the Nutrition Screening Initiative.

Conducted April 1-8, the survey was based on telephone interviews with more than 750 doctors, nurses and health-care administrators who work with seniors.

People are considered malnourished when they do not get the proper nutrients, due either to deficiencies, excesses or imbalances in the diet, and their bodies are weakened and their health is harmed.

by CNB