Abstract
Most clinical nutritionists would agree that in the care of sick or frail elderly patients, nutritional and hydration concerns often rank far too low on the list of evaluation and treatment priorities. In hospitals and nursing homes (1, 2) and in the community, elderly patients may receive a variety of costly and complex medical interventions, eg, extensive drug therapy (3) and mechanical ventilatory support (4), while the routine availability of adequate food and fluids is neglected.