Background: Nutritional status changes are a health concern for older adults as they transfer from a community dwelling environment to a long term care facility. Changes in nutritional status occur as a result of the older adult’s having to adjust their dietary patterns to the standards set out in facilities. Although a large body of research exists on the nutrition status of seniors who are already institutionalized, there is little information on how nutrition status changes following admission.

Method: Using the methodology outlined by Arksey and O’Malley (2005) database searches were conducted of CINAHL, Medline, Ageline and Web of Science yielding 1000+ articles. Abstracts were then refined to include studies taking place in North America following 2004, with nine studies meeting inclusion criteria.

Results: Analysis of the literature determined that the primary reasons for nutritional status change was less food being available, and the food that was available being deficient in key vitamins such as folate and vitamin B. In addition, nutritional screening tools were found to be inadequate to detect early signs of malnutrition upon admission.

Conclusion: Findings from the literature can inform practitioners about the importance of taking a holistic approach when analyzing nutrition status to have a better understanding of the senior’s health and consider how medication interactions may impact absorption of vitamins. As well, the literature can inform future policy decisions to increase funding so long term care facilities can afford more nutritious and readily available food. Finally, suggestions for further research include looking at how entry to a long term care home can impact nutritional status for older adults with a cognitive disability.