Meg Sullivan
MS, RDN
Senior Nutrition Specialist
Meg holds an MS in Nutritional Sciences, a BS in Nutritional Dietetics with a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) 25 + years of clinical research background. Her expertise lies in understanding how food impacts the body, particularly in relation to managing medical conditions and enhancing overall well-being. She provides clear, science-based information on chronic conditions, such as obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease. She offers personalized, evidence-based nutrition guidance to boost energy, confidence, and long-term well-being. Working with people of all ages, with a specific focus on older adults, experienced in both inpatient and outpatient settings, and all aspects of chronic illness throughout the lifecycle, Meg’s main goal is to help give older adults a better quality of life.
Nutrition Matters – Especially for Seniors
Beyond the fact that what we put in our bodies affects our bodies, as seniors age, nutritional needs change. Making sure those needs are met makes a real difference in that adult’s health and happiness. The physiologic changes that occur with aging make older adults susceptible to malnutrition and disease. In fact, nearly 2 out of every 3 seniors are at risk for malnutrition.
What Do I Offer as a Senior Nutrition Specialist
- Work with older adults and senior clients on getting the highest quality nutritional care and offer a sound nutritional plan that helps to avoid disease and achieve weight maintenance goals
- Teach older adults (and those interested) about the nutritional connections to the diseases and disorders common in this population
- Identify nutritional recommendations for older adults based on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and Healthy People 2020
- Describe to clients how dietary interventions can slow aging and the progression of disease
- Learn from examples of actual patients and nutritional disorders that are seen in the community and clinical settings
- Discuss the changes in energy needs that occur with advancing age and give clients recommendations for dietary intake and lifestyle
- Explain how age-related changes in metabolism and health affect requirements for carbohydrates, fats, proteins, and fluids
- Educate clients on the risk factors for various diseases, lead them through a guided assessment, and provide a nutritional plan to improve their quality of life
Action Items as a Team We Will As Applicable & Wanted by Client(s)
The Physiology of Aging: Education of Client & Family & Caretaker
Begin by identifying factors that contribute to changes in body composition with age and what key changes occur in each part of the body. Topics include:
- Changes in body composition
- Energy needs for the older adult & senior
- Cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, and respiratory changes
- Nutrition and skeletal health, osteoporosis, arthritis, gout
- Immune system, nervous system, and endocrine system changes
Assessing Nutritional Care Needs
Integrate physiology changes with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and Healthy People 2020 to develop effective plans that meet all nutritional needs. Topics include:
- Macronutrient & fluid recommendations for older adults
- Nutrition recommendations – fats, proteins, carbohydrates
- Digestion and absorption changes
- Vitamin & mineral requirements, absorption, function, recommendations
Strategies for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention in Older Adults and Seniors
Create sound nutritional performance plans (based on tailored client needs) that will optimize health and work toward helping prevent disease or limit the symptoms of disease. Topics include:
- Physical activity and exercise guidelines for older adults and seniors
- Steps in nutritional assessment & screening, evaluation, and analysis
- Physical disabilities, functiona,l and mental status
- Nutritional implications of disease and conditions – gastrointestinal disorders, cardiovascular, and respiratory
- Nutritional implications of disease and conditions – renal, metabolic, endocrine, thyroid, cognitive
- Nutritional implications of malnutrition and obesity
Physiologic Changes That Influence the Pharmacokinetic Effects of Medications
Together, evaluating the medications a client takes, honing in on ones that can affect appetite, digestion, and absorption of both nutrients and medications. Topics include:
- Medications and the effects on the older adult, food interactions
- Use of complementary and alternative medicines
- Ethics and nutrition support