Unintentional weight loss is a common problem among nursing home residents and one that is associated with adverse costly clinical outcomes including increases in hospitalizations, morbidity, and mortality. A clinically significant weight loss episode is defined for residents by the Minimum Data Set (MDS) as a loss equal or greater to 5% within a 30-day period or 10% within a 180-day period. Recent studies indicate that 48% of residents experience at least one weight loss episode equal to or greater than 5% of their body weight within 30 days based on 7 consecutive monthly weight values. As members of the IDT Team, Speech and Occupational Therapists can assist residents in the prevention of weight loss by assessing residents’ risk for weight loss, individualization of therapeutic feeding interventions, implementation of compensatory swallow and positioning strategies, and monitoring the quality of therapeutic outcomes.
