CHARACTERIZATION OF ANOREXIA IN NURSING HOME PATIENTS

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Abstract
Health care professionals and caregivers working with elderly ‘people in both community and nursing home settings frequently encounter patients who have an unexplained loss of appetite and subsequent weight loss. This phenomenon, termed geriatric anorexia, has been vaguely attributed to psychosocial, physical, or disease factors but has not been studied systematically. This study was undertaken to determine the extent of unexplained anorexia and poor weight status in nursing home patients and to describe some factors associated with these conditions. Nursing home patient charts (N — 164) were reviewed. Prevalence of geriatric anorexia and involuntary weight loss was 59%. In about two‐thirds of the cases, the condition existed on admission; men and women exhibited similar rates. The single most common associated condition was confusion (44% of subjects). Gerontologists need to better understand this phenomenon.

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