CHAPTER 4 | Nutrition Assessment of Older Adults 43
Box 4.2 Risk Factors That May Lead to Undernutrition Type of risk
Examples Socioeconomic
Lack of socialization, isolation Food insecurity Poverty Low health literacy Lack of access to working appliances
Physical conditions or environment
Eating too slowly, leading to decreased food palatability Lacking support with meal preparation Ethnic or cultural food preferences not available Poor hygiene (inability to get into the shower or bath) Poor motor coordination (difficulty remaining independent with intake, self-care, etc)
Interference with eating due to (but not limited to) the following: • cholelithiasis • congestive heart failure • diabetic gastroparesis • malabsorption syndromes
Increased energy needs due to (but not limited to) the following: • burns • cancer • chronic obstructive pulmonary disease • fractures • infections • wounds
Health behavior
Lack of self-efficacy and resilience Decreased life satisfaction Substance use disorder Abuse
the validity of the information obtained relies on the experience and skill of the clinician and the accurate reporting of the client. The older adult may state what
they feel the clinician wants to hear, intentionally or unintentionally overreporting or underreporting their intake. Accuracy may be improved with the use of