NUTRITIONAL ASSESSMENTS: PERFORMING IN OLDER ADULTS

Course overview

Nutritional assessment is the use of a combination of factors—physical, biochemical, medical, psychological, and socioeconomic—to assess the risk for, or the existence of, nutritional imbalance in the patient. Performing a nutritional assessment involves taking a patient’s anthropometric measurements (e.g., height and weight), diet history, physical examination, and blood sampling for laboratory testing, and asking the patient or his/her family about lifestyle and eating habits. This continuing education module is designed to give the reader/learner an increased understanding of performing nutritional assessments in older adults, including why it is important to assess for the existence of, or the risk factors for nutritional deficiencies in the older adult, and to aid in caring for the patient with this diagnosis. Readers may explore any or all of the topics. One contact hour of continuing education credit is available for those who successfully complete the post-test and evaluation form.