OT 633: Nutrition Guest Lecture

What were the key takeaway points from the guest lecture today? Describe two occupational therapy interventions based on the topic. Each intervention should address a different type of client: individual, group, or population. 

Today our guest lecturer shared with us the importance of nutrition and exercise in the aging process and healing the body from injury/illness. My biggest take-away from this lecture is the importance of early intervention with nutrition, especially in acute care hospital stays. This is an area that is currently lacking because dietitians sometimes don’t even get to see a patient until the 4th day of their stay, and by this time the client has already lost a significant amount of their muscle mass. She explained that nutrition must be as much of a priority for patients as therapy and medication is. This entails consultations upon admission and plans for discharge. If proper nutrition is not addressed, the patient’s medication and therapy will not have the proper impact. In addition, I was struck by the impact of loneliness in the elderly population. She explained that loneliness has the same health effect as smoking 15 cigarettes a day and that 50% of the elderly population is lonely or isolated and 10% are severely lonely or isolated. This is a reminder of the importance of simply addressing the elderly population to make them feel seen in any interaction, beyond nutrition or therapy. 

For an individual, an OT could dedicate a session to healthy meal preparation and safe kitchen mobility. This session would address the importance of continuing to fuel the client’s body for healing.   

For a general population, an OT could host a support group in which caregivers are educated on the importance of proper feeding techniques and nutritional intake.