Nutrition Therapy Essentials

Dietitians… NFPEs are not just another box to check 👀

It’s one of the most valuable tools we have to assess nutritional status, but only if it’s used correctly

A strong NFPE goes beyond identifying muscle or fat loss.

It supports your documentation, strengthens your PES statements, and helps accurately diagnose moderate or severe malnutrition.

When combined with intake, weight history, and clinical context, it becomes a powerful part of nutrition care

✨ We also included evidence based resources to help you build confidence with NFPE in our blog.

🔗 Check out the blog linked in our bio for a deeper breakdown.

Save this for your next nutrition assessment!

Dietitians: improving intake in long term care is not just about adding another supplement.

While oral nutrition supplements can be helpful, relying on them as the primary intervention often leads to taste fatigue, decreased compliance, and missed opportunities to truly support residents.

One of the most overlooked factors in nutrition care is autonomy. When residents are given the same supplement in the same flavor every day, choice is removed.

Instead, we can think more creatively about how we support intake.

Simple additions like yogurt with fruit, cheese and crackers, cottage cheese with berries, or smoothies can provide both nutrition and variety. These options feel more like real food and can be rotated to maintain interest over time.

As dietitians, we have the ability to incorporate these foods into diet orders and collaborate with dietary staff to better meet resident preferences.

Supplements have their place, but they should be part of a broader, more flexible approach.

🧡 Want to dive deeper into how to implement these strategies in your facility?
Read the full blog post linked in our bio.

Supporting nutrition in older adults can be simple and practical 🧡

Small adjustments like offering snacks more often, modifying textures, adjusting food temperatures, or keeping foods easily accessible can make a meaningful difference in daily intake.

These strategies are designed to meet older adults where they are and support both nutrition and quality of life.

This is the final part of our series in honor of National Nutrition Month 🧡

Save this for later and share with someone who supports older adults.