Nutritional status, well-being and functional ability in frail elderly service flat residents

Abstract

Objective: To investigate nutritional status and its relationship to cognition, well-being, functional ability and energy intake in frail elderly service flat residents. Design: Cross-sectional and prospective study. Setting: Two municipal service flat complexes. Subjects: A total of 80 residents (median age 85.5 (79-90) y) with regular home care assistance participated. A subgroup of 35 residents took part in a re-examination 1 y later. Methods: Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA), Short Portable Mental Status Questionnaire, Barthel Index and Health Index were used for the evaluation of nutritional, cognitive and ADL function and well-being, respectively. Results: In all, 30% of the frail and chronically ill service flat residents were assessed as malnourished and 59% were at risk of malnutrition. The malnourished residents had worse cognitive conditions (Po0.001) and well-being (Po0.05), lower functional ability (Po0.01) and they had a greater need for daily assistance (Po0.05) than the other residents. The median night fast period was 14.0 (12.5-15.0) h. Five subjects classified as malnourished at baseline had lost a median of À9.6 kg (range À11.0 to þ 7.3 kg) (Po0.05) in body weight at the 1-y follow-up, which contrasted significantly from the weight stability in residents classified as at risk for malnutrition or well-nourished. Conclusion: Out of 10 residents, nine were assessed to have impending nutritional problems that related to impaired wellbeing, cognition, and functional ability. Malnourished residents had a significant weight loss over one year. Studies are needed to determine whether weight loss and nutrition-related dysfunction in service flat residents are preventable or treatable.

A Longitudinal Study on the Nutritional State of Elderly Women at a Nursing Home in Japan

“…Such a relationship between ADL and PEM in nursing home elderlies well agrees with the results of previous studies that ADL had the highest power to affect PEM, followed by chewing capacity and cognitive function (8,9). However, these studies were either cross-sectional (8) or longitudinal but only for 1 year (9). Thus, the present data of 3-years duration with prospective surveillance, will give the most reliable confirmation regarding the relation between ADL and subsequent PEM in aged subjects at nursing home.…”

Undernutrition in geriatric institutions in South-West France: Policies and risk factors

“…Indeed, in the large sample of Blaum et al (7), items predicting weight loss or low BMI were those included in the MNA and most of them in the MNA-SF. Furthermore, it was previously shown that the energy intake of malnourished subjects according to the MNA was below their needs, in contrast to subjects with MNA over 24 (31). This was confirmed elsewhere using other undernutrition criteria (12,32).…”

“…Associations between undernutrition and impaired function or high need of care, dementia, swallowing difficulties, constipation and agitation were also evidenced (12,31).…”

Self-care ability and sense of coherence in older nutritional at-risk patients

“…Furthermore, weight gain in undernourished geriatric rehabilitation patients during their hospital stay could improve their function in basic activities of daily life (Poulsen, 2005). Diminished functional ability, together with diminished cognitive function, has also been seen to be associated with nutritional risk in older patients (Pearson et al, 2001) and with undernutrition in frail older service flat residents (Ö dlund Olin et al, 2005).…”