These assessments include the Simplified Nutritional Assessment Questionnaire (SNAQ) and Functional Assessment of Anorexia/Cachexia Therapy (FAACT). Specific to the geriatric populace, the interRAI system identifies detrimental conditions in assisted living facilities and nursing homes. Even a simple screening for nutritional insufficiencies such as low levels of important vitamins, can help to identify someone who has anorexia of aging.Anorexia in the elderly should be identified by the retirement communities but is often overlooked, especially in patients with dementia. Some studies report that malnutrition is prevalent in nursing homes, with up to 58% of residents suffering from it, which can lead to the difficulty of identifying anorexia. One of the challenges with assisted living facilities is that they often serve bland, monotonous food, which lessens residents desire to eat.The treatment for anorexia of aging is undifferentiated as anorexia for any other age group. Some of the treatment options include outpatient and inpatient facilities, antidepressant medication and behavioral therapy such as meal observation and discussing eating habits.Male and female athletes are often overlooked as anorexic. Research emphasizes the importance to take athletes diet, weight and symptoms into account when diagnosing anorexia, instead of just looking at weight and BMI. For athletes, ritualized activities such as weigh-ins place emphasis on gaining and losing large amounts of weight, which may promote the development of eating disorders among them. While women use diet pills, which is an indicator of unhealthy behavior and an eating disorder, men use steroids, which contextualizes the beauty ideals for genders.
Chronic fatigue
Orange discoloration of the skin, particularly the feet (Carotenosis)
Infertility
Halitosis (from vomiting or starvation-induced ketosis)
Hypotension or orthostatic hypotension
Having severe muscle tension, aches and pains
Insomnia
Abdominal distension

Cognitive symptoms
An obsession with counting calories and monitoring fat contents of food. Preoccupation with food, recipes, or cooking; may cook elaborate dinners for others, but not eat the food themselves or consume a very small portion. Admiration of thinner people. Thoughts of being fat or not thin enough
An altered mental representation of ones body
Impaired theory of mind, exacerbated by lower BMI and depression
Difficulty in abstract thinking and problem solving
Rigid and inflexible thinking
Poor self-esteem
Hypercriticism and perfectionism

Affective symptoms
Depression
Ashamed of oneself or ones body
Anxiety disorders
Rapid mood swings
Emotional dysregulation
Alexithymia

Behavioral symptoms
Food restrictions despite being underweight or at a healthy weight. Food rituals, such as cutting food into tiny pieces, refusing to eat around others, and hiding or discarding of food. Purging (only in the anorexia purging subtype) with laxatives, diet pills, ipecac syrup, or diuretics to flush food out of their system after eating or engage in self-induced vomiting. Excessive exercise, including micro-exercising, for example making small persistent movements of fingers or toes. Self harming or self-loathing. Solitude: may avoid friends and family and become more withdrawn and secretive. Perceptual symptoms
Perception of self as overweight, in contradiction to an underweight reality (namely "body image disturbance")
Intolerance to cold and frequent complaints of being cold; body temperature may lower (hypothermia) in an effort to conserve energy due to malnutrition. Altered body schema (i.e.