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NUTRITIONAL STATUS OF RESIDENTS IN GROUP-LIVING CARE FOR DEMENTIA

T. Hamamukai, M. Kanauchi

J Aging Res Clin Practice 2012;1(1):69-73

Background: The number of group-living home (GLH) in Japan has been increasing in recent years, but little information is available on how many residents living in GLH experience malnutrition. Objective: Using the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA), we investigated the nutritional status and its relationship to cognition, functional ability, and dietary intake in elderly residents with dementia in small-scale GLH. Methods: Subjects were 60 residents with dementia (49 women and 11 men; mean age, 83.6 years) in six GLH in Japan. The MNA, Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR), activities of daily living (ADL) score, and dietary intakes on 3 separate days were examined. Results: According to the MNA, subjects were divided into three categories: well-nourished (21.7%), at risk for malnutrition (63.3%), and malnourished (15.0%). By logistic regression analysis after adjustment for age, sex, and CDR, energy intake and protein intake were significantly associated with risk for malnutrition; additionally ADL score, emotional impairment, and feeding dependency were significantly associated with being malnourished. Conclusion: This is the first report to investigate the MNA nutritional status and associated factors among GLH residents with dementia in Japan. Many elderly patients with dementia living in GLH were at risk for malnutrition. Although most GLH offer a good living environment for people with dementia, more attention must be focused on early identification of malnutrition in these care settings.

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