Malnutrition in Older Adults

Course overview

Optimizing nutrition during aging can prevent disease development. Malnutrition increases the risk of morbidity, mortality, and prolonged hospital admissions in older adults (Power et al., 2018). Depending on which study you read, close to 40% of hospitalized older adults are malnourished. It is important for healthcare providers to identify malnutrition among older adult patients and provide them with early interventions that will mitigate their risk of debilitation. This course will review the causes of malnutrition in older adults, how to identify those at risk for malnutrition, and the interventions necessary to reverse or prevent its progression. Reflective thinking, review questions, and story-based learning will promote active learning.