Malnutrition in an older person can cause overall poorer physical function. The older person becomes weaker, slower and more fatigued leading to increasing frailty.

Older persons with poor nutritional status are more likely to get sick, develop infection, fall and suffer a fracture. They take longer to recover from illnesses and can suffer increased mortality in severe illnesses.

Therefore, screening for malnutrition is important using screening tools such as the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) or the Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST).