ABSTRACT
Objective and subjective factors influence the nutritional health of the elderly. Exploration of the relationship between direct and indirect observations and their standards of measurement help to generate useful nutritional assessments for the geriatric population. Physician orders for diet, medications, laboratory tests, and other direct and indirect observations provide a basis for assessment of the elderly population. The initial diet order and subsequent changes in this order should be well-documented in the medical record. Diet orders reflect the type of food items necessary to achieve optimum nutrient levels. The kitchen manager should visit the patient as soon after admission as possible to interview the patient and record preferences in the dietary cardex. The dietetic technician or registered dietitian can then use this data to plan individualized meal patterns. Therefore, accurate measurements of body size are necessary to ensure that a proper diet is being provided.
