Happy Wellfie Wednesday! Welcome back! This week is brought to you by Patrick (@TheFuelPhysio) and it highlights a recent publication that looks at malnutrition, frailty, and sarcopenia (muscle loss) in older adults. The piece was written to help physical therapists understand the importance of nutrition in older adults and give them practical tools to address malnutrition and their patient's eating behaviors. However, the information can be used beyond physical therapists and is applicable to any rehab profession, such as occupational and speech therapy alike.
Severin, R., Berner, P. M., Miller, K. L., & Mey, J. (2019). The Crossroads of Aging: An Intersection of Malnutrition, Frailty, and Sarcopenia. Topics in Geriatric Rehabilitation, 35(1), 79-87.
Though it was written with a clinical mindset, the article still contains information that can be helpful to the everyday adult. Such as highlighting current evidence that protein needs for older adults may be upwards of 1.2 g of protein/kg of bodyweight, far greater than the standard recommendation of 0.8 g of protein/kg of bodyweight. And practical information such as common food-drug interactions and potential affects on appetite due to medications.
Resource: Severin, R., Berner, P. M., Miller, K. L., & Mey, J. (2019). The Crossroads of Aging: An Intersection of Malnutrition, Frailty, and Sarcopenia. Topics in Geriatric Rehabilitation, 35(1), 79-87.