Nutritional Management by Dietitian at Elderly Nursing Homes in Gyeonggi-do

The purpose of the study was to examine the current status of nutritional management at elderly nursing homes. A survey was performed of 83 nursing homes from January 5, 2011 to January 21, 2011 via mail. A total of 34 nursing homes responded to the survey and 149 elderly subjects were analyzed according to the presence of a dietitian. Among the 34 nursing homes, 70.6% had a dietitian on duty. All of the facilities with a dietitian had the dietitian making the meal plan, whereas 70% of the facilities without dietitian served meals planned by a non-professional person. Overall, however, a low proportion of nursing homes implemented dietetic treatments for residents with diseases. For the nutritional assessment of these residents, a mini nutritional assessment (MNA) was performed. MNA scores were significantly associated with body mass index (BMI), mid-arm circumference (MAC), calf circumference (CC), ingestion problems, and weight loss during the last 3 months (P<0.001). Among the elderly studied, 5.4% were malnourished, and 36.9% were at risk for malnutrition by MNA score. The results of this survey show that the current management of nutrition at nursing homes is insufficient because the elderly who needed dietetic treatment did not receive proper care. Dietetic management is the most important service in all nursing homes. Therefore, to improve the nutritional status of elderly residents in nursing homes, systematic nutrition management by nutrition experts should be implemented.

Nutritional Assessment and Management in Long-term Care Insurance's Home Visit Care Service / 대한지역사회영양학회지

The purpose of the study was to examine nutritional management and nutritional care demands of home-visit care service and the nutritional status of serviced elderly. The survey was carried out from 5th to 21st of January, 2011 among 37 In-Home Service institutions. The number of elderly surveyed by 143 care helpers was 281. Analysis was performed for 203 subjects (male: 44, female: 159). The age distribution was from 50 to 99 years. The grading by long-term care insuranceshowed 18,2% on level 1 and 2, and 81.8% on level 3. For the disease treatment, the proportion of implementing diet treatment turned out to be very low. The proportion of subjects living with their children was 45.3%, and living alone was 29.1%. The proportion of home-visit care among types of In-Home Service was 70%. Subjects who needed additional necessary diet management service turned out to be 40.9%. Diet management was the most necessary services from all levels. MNA (specifiy MNA) scores were significantly (p < 0.001) associated with BMI, mid-arm circumference (MAC), calf circumference (CC), intake problems, and weight loss during the last 3 months. For studied elderly, 45.3% were malnourished, and 46.8% were at the risk of malnutrition by MNA score. Based on the result of this survey, the nutritional care was not systematic on the In-Home Service. Prevention and management of the disease was much better than the treatment to improve the quality of life. We conclude that nutrition management is necessary for the elderly. To improve nutritional status of elderly in home care services, systematic nutrition management should be implemented.