I can’t believe it’s the final week of National Nutrition Month already! Every year it feels it goes faster. Next year we’ll get our plan out ahead of time to help you plan.
The focus of week 4 is on how nutrient needs change across different life stages, with a special emphasis on older adults in long term care, nursing homes, and assisted living facilities.
As dietitians working in these settings, this is an opportunity to educate staff, residents, and families on how nutrition plays a crucial role in aging, maintaining independence, and preventing malnutrition. Here are practical ways to highlight this theme within your facility.
Host an Educational Session on Nutrition for Healthy Aging
Organize a presentation or informal discussion tailored to seniors and caregivers. This is one of my favourite ways to not only highlight what I do as the dietitian, but also what our focus is for nutrition at the facility.
Here’s some topics that you can cover:
- How aging affects metabolism and nutrient needs.
- The importance of protein for preventing muscle loss, frailty, and pressure injuries.
- Nutrients essential for bone health (calcium, vitamin D, magnesium).
- Hydration needs and strategies to prevent dehydration.
- Addressing common barriers to good nutrition, such as appetite loss, difficulty chewing, and sensory changes.
Use large-print handouts, simple visuals, and interactive Q&A to keep the session engaging.
Highlight the Focus on Preventing Malnutrition
Malnutrition is a significant concern in long term care settings. We all already know that, but not everyone in your facility may be aware. Nutrition month is a great time to shift the focus on what the dietitian does to catch, prevent, and manage malnutrition.
A great way to highlight this is either via a lunch education session, create some posters to go around your facility educating staff and loved ones on what you do as well. If you want some ideas for how to spot and prevent malnutrition, read this article!
Dietitians can take proactive steps to prevent it by:
- Identifying residents at risk through weight loss trends and reduced intake. This can be through the Mini-Nutrition Assessment (MNA) as well.
- Encouraging the use of fortified foods (e.g., adding powdered milk to mashed potatoes, offering protein shakes, enriched soups).
- Advocating for liberalized diets when appropriate to improve intake and resident satisfaction.
- Implementing flexible meal schedules for those who may not feel hungry at standard meal times.
Promote Enjoyment of Food Through Liberalized Diets
If you’ve been around here long enough you know that I am a big advocate for liberalizing diet in the elderly. If you want to read my advocate position for WHY we liberalize diets you can read this article.
Dietary restrictions can sometimes lead to decreased food intake and reduced quality of life. When appropriate, dietitians should advocate for liberalized diets to help residents enjoy their meals while still meeting nutritional needs. This may include:
- Allowing familiar comfort foods that improve intake and satisfaction.
- Reducing overly restrictive diets unless medically necessary, such as relaxing sodium or carbohydrate limitations for residents in palliative or comfort care.
- Offering a variety of textures and flavors to stimulate appetite and prevent mealtime monotony.
- Encouraging resident choice and input in meal planning to make dining a more enjoyable experience.
Address the Importance of Social Connection at Mealtime
Research continues to highlight the importance of meal times being a social aspect in seniors. It can encourage individuals to actually eat more at meals compared to if they were eating alone. Many seniors experience loneliness, which can impact appetite and nutrition intake.
Some ways that I encourage socializing at mealtimes are:
- Family meal participation: Encouraging families to join at mealtimes when they are able.
- Small group dining experiences to foster engagement. Ensuring individuals that are friends get to sit together at meals.
- Themed meal events where residents can reminisce about favorite foods and traditions. At least once a month ensuring that a meal is an ‘event’.
Provide a “Nutrition Through the Senior Years” Resource
Create an easy-to-read handout or bulletin board that breaks down key nutrition changes in aging, emphasizing:
- The need for higher protein intake to maintain strength and function.
- The importance of hydration, fiber, and probiotics for digestive health.
- How small changes in meal presentation (color, texture, seasoning) can improve intake and enjoyment.
- The role of personalized nutrition strategies to meet individual dietary preferences and medical needs.
Final Thoughts
Week 4 of Nutrition Month is a great opportunity for dietitians working with older adults to highlight how food impacts health and quality of life for older adults. By focusing on aging-specific nutrition strategies and malnutrition prevention, dietitians can support residents in maintaining their strength, cognitive function, and overall well-being.
Engaging staff and families in these discussions can also improve mealtime experiences and create a more supportive dining environment for seniors in nursing homes and assisted living facilities.
Don’t forget even though national nutrition month is almost over you can still highlight what you do as a dietitian every month! Until next year.
Michelle Saari is a Registered Dietitian based in Canada. She has a Master's Degree in Human Nutritional Sciences and is a passionate advocate for spreading easy to understand, reliable, and trustworthy nutrition information. She is currently a full time online entrepreneur with two nutrition focused websites.
