In completion of this case study, learners will be able to recognize the inability to maintain weight as a multi-faceted problem in older adults, assess and diagnose age-specific changes in nutrition and hydration status in an older adult, and devise an individualized management plan for an older person with weight loss issues. This case study will also show learners how to make the appropriate referrals and follow-ups to inter-professional providers in both the health and social service fields.

The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) and the Hartford Institute for Geriatric Nursing at New York University College of Nursing (HIGN), with generous funding from the John A. Hartford Foundation, developed these case studies to facilitate the transition to Adult-Gerontology APRN education as described in The Consensus Model for APRN Regulation: Licensure, Accreditation, Certification and Education. One of the major goals of this project is to provide Primary and Acute Care Adult NP faculty, Adult CNS faculty, and other faculty who prepare NPs or CNSs to care for older adults, (e.g. FNPs, WHNPs, Women’s Health CNSs), with multiple resources and strategies to assist them in making this transition.