Obviously, there is more to nutrition than just this it’s also important that people meet their body’s needs for vitamins and minerals, and that they eat a “healthy diet.” Exact definitions of a “healthy diet” differ, but it’s generally one that promotes health and well-being, and doesn’t cause or aggravate health problems. In geriatrics, the focus is often first on ensuring that an older person is getting enough calories and protein to maintain energy needs and muscle mass. Note: The term “nutrition” can be used differently in different contexts.
Decreased strength and/or ability to get around. Monitoring for unintended weight loss, as detailed above, is probably the easiest way to screen for nutrition problems. Once you’ve become concerned and documented a change in weight, you’ll want to bring it up with a doctor or other health professional. But it’s also reasonable to be worried if you notice a steady downward trend. Once you start tracking weight: at what point should you be concerned?Ī general rule of thumb is that unintentionally losing 5% of one’s original body weight over 3-6 months is cause for concern. The weight record can then be accessed through an app or website. These are devices that can wirelessly connect to a mobile device or even the home’s wifi. You can also consider one of the newer “connected” scales. Some families keep the information in a paper chart, but it’s potentially better to keep it in a shared computer file see this article on keeping and organizing information for more details. You should keep records of the weight checks, preferably in a way that makes it easy to bring the information to the doctor’s office. (Note that nursing homes are usually required to weigh residents monthly some assisted-living facilities may do so as well.) To track the weight of an older person who lives at home or in assisted-living, I usually recommend checking and recording the weight at least once a month. This is a terrific quick-and-easy way to monitor overall health and nutrition in an older adult. #NOW THAT I'VE SEEN HER HOW TO#
How to track weight and nutrition in an older person They may be a sign that an older person is impaired, or otherwise needs more support with daily life.įortunately, there’s an easy way to screen for these problems: tracking an older person’s weight.
They leave older adults weakened and more vulnerable to additional illnesses and injuries. They are often caused by underlying health problems which need to be diagnosed and managed. It’s important to detect and evaluate weight loss and malnutrition for several key reasons: One study found that 39% of hospitalized older adults were malnourished. But they tend to go together.īoth problems are common in older adults. Now, they aren’t quite the same thing: it’s possible to be malnourished without obviously losing weight. This often goes hand-in-hand with malnutrition in aging. Unintentional weight loss means losing weight without dieting or otherwise deliberately trying to slim down. Why you should monitor for unintentional weight loss In this post, I’ll go over each of these steps in more detail. 
And then we’re in a better position to recommend a treatment plan, which might well include a nutritional supplement. Once we’ve spotted unintentional weight loss, the next step is to figure out what might be causing it. This enables us to spot weight loss sooner rather than later. So in geriatrics, we usually recommend that an older person - or their caregivers - monitor weight regularly. But before focusing on this, you should first get help figuring out why your father is losing weight.įor doctors, unintended weight loss is a major red flag when it comes to the health of an older person. Now, in most cases, some nutritional supplementation is in order.
But I wouldn’t recommend you jump to purchasing Boost or Ensure. The brief answer is that yes, you should be concerned. It is indeed very common for older adults to experience unintentional weight loss at some point in late-life.
Should I be concerned? Would you recommend he start drinking a supplement such as Boost or Ensure?Ī: This question comes up a lot for families. I’m starting to feel worried about his nutrition. I thought he looked rather thin last time we saw him. He’s been living alone since my mother died five years ago. Q: My 88-year-old father lives in his own home about 100 miles from us.
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