As rates of obesity rise, so do the challenges associated with providing care. And nursing homes are feeling the strain.
A recent article by Kaiser Health News (KHN) and The New York Times (NYT)looks at how care facilities are struggling to accommodate an ever-increasing number of residents who require special care and equipment related to their weight.
“Obesity is redrawing the common imagery of old age: the slight nursing home resident is giving way to the obese senior, hampered by diabetes, disability, and other weight-related ailments,” reporter Sarah Varney writes. “Facilities that have long cared for older adults are increasingly overwhelmed—and unprepared—to care for this new group of morbidly heavy patients.”