NUTRITIONAL INTAKE: Use of Touch and Verbal Cuing

Many hospitalized elderly patients suffer from inadequate nutritional intake (Gupta, 1988; Infante-Rivard, 1986; Mobarhan, 1987, 1991; Morley, 1 986; Rudman, 1 989; Sandman, 1 987; Sullivan, 1 989). These patients may not eat properly because of pain, emotional stress, physical deficits, or inability to attend to the process of eating (Mobarhan, 1 991 ). Because poor nutrition affects healing, skin integrity, and psychological well-being, it is often partially responsible for extended hospitalization (Morley, 1 986). In addition, the cost of supplementing a patienfs diet to compensate for poor nutrition can range from a few dollars per day for noninvasive supplements to several hundred dollars per day for invasive procedures.