The response has been overwhelmingly positive. I was excited when I first saw the Nutrition Care Alerts for nursing facilities, and saw immediately how applicable they could be to the home-care setting. The new alerts for home care raise awareness about the same nutrition-related conditions found in the nursing facilities version. They highlight specific warning signs and action steps for unintended weight loss, dehydration, pressure ulcers and tube-feeding complications. The Nutrition Care Alerts for home care really bring nutrition to the forefront.
People make the connection that nutrition plays a key role in care.
The next step is making sure they continue to be used. We need to keep all members of the interdisciplinary team constantly aware of the importance of good nutrition for older people. Dr. Wellman is director of the National Policy and Resource Center on Nutrition and Aging at Florida International University. Pretesting Topline Report. Covinsky KE, Martin GE, Beyth RJ et al.