VISN 16/Little Rock Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center:

Older Veterans living in the community should be screened at least yearly for malnutrition while older Veterans in a long-term care setting should be screened every 3 months. This screening can take less than 4 minutes and does not require specialized training or lab data. Screening allows at-risk individuals to be identified before weight loss occurs.

Malnutrition Risk in Older Adults:
• Individuals living in the community have a relatively low-risk
• Individuals who are hospitalized or in long-term care have a dramatic increase in risk
• Individuals with cognitive impairment or cognitive decline are at the highest risk

Older Veterans identified as malnourished, or at risk, should be referred to the appropriate dietician and/or specialist for interventions that can improve outcomes.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT SCREENING FOR MALNUTRITION: http://www.southwesthealthline.ca/healthlibrary_docs/B.8.2.NutritionAssmtGuide.pdf

MINI-NUTRITIONAL ASSESSMENT SHORT-FORM (MNA-SF): http://www.mna-elderly.com/forms/mini/mna_mini_english.pdf