Assessment of the nutritional status of the elderly at the nursing home - clinical study

Uvod: Staranje je proces, ki zajema strukturne, funkcionalne in presnovne spremembe. Število starostnikov se v zadnjih letih povečuje. V hierarhiji osnovnih življenjskih potreb po Maslowu je prehrana uvrščena na isto raven kot zrak. Za doseganje optimalnega prehranskega statusa je potrebno prilagoditi vnos hranil, s povečanjem ali zmanjšanjem le-teh. Nedohranjenost ali nevarnost za nedohranjenost je pogosta težava med stanovalci v domu starejših občanov. Da bi preprečili nadaljnje slabšanje zdravstvenega stanja, je potrebno izvajati presejanje prehranske ogroženosti redno in na podlagi rezultata tudi ukrepati. Namen: Namen diplomskega dela je ugotoviti stanje prehranjenosti v izbranem domu starejših občanov. Metode dela: V raziskavi smo uporabili MNA vprašalnik v slovenskem jeziku ter izvedli osnovne antropološke meritve (telesna teža, telesna višina, obseg nadlahti in kožna guba). Raziskavo smo izvajali v domu starejših občanov v osrednji Sloveniji, v študijo smo vključili 97 stanovalcev. Rezultati: Orientacijski status prehranjenosti nam pokaže, da je skupno gledano 45 stanovalcev (46,4 %) normalno prehranjenih, 43 (44,3 %) stanovalcev pa je v tveganju za nedohranjenost. Nedohranjenih je 9 oseb (9,3 %). Ocena prehranjenosti stanovalcev je pokazala, da je 35 (36 %) stanovalcev normalno hranjenih, 12 (12 %) je nedohranjenih. Več kot polovica, natančneje 50 (52 %) stanovalcev, je v tveganju za nedohranjenost. Osebe, ki glede na MNA vprašalnik, sodijo v skupino nedohranjenih pa so povprečno najstarejši (87,9 let). Razprava in sklep: Dokazano je, da je nedohranjenost velik problem v svetu in da se premalo oziramo na ta problem. Predvsem starejše osebe so nagnjene k tej problematiki, v naši raziskavi lahko vidimo, da starejši kot so stanovalci, slabši je njihov prehranski status. V naši raziskavi smo ugotovili, da je večina stanovalcev v tveganju za nedohranjenost velika večina le-teh je v večini dnevnih aktivnosti odvisna od naše pomoči. Uporaba presejalnih testov za oceno prehranjenosti je slabo poznana in uporabljena v praksi, kar bi bilo potrebno spremeniti.Introduction: Aging is a process that includes structural, functional and metabolic changes. In the last years the number of elderly is increasing. In the hierarchy of basic needs in life according to Maslow, nutrition is on the same level as air. To reach optimum nutritional status it is necessary to adjust the input of nutrients by increasing or reducing their amount. Undernutrition or danger of undernutrition is a frequent problem among the elderly at the nursing home. To prevent further deterioration of medical condition it is necessary to perform screening of nutritional hazard regularly and act accordingly. Purpose: The purpose of the thesis is to find the nutritional status in the nursery home. Methods: The Slovene MNA questionnaire was used and the basic anthropologic measuring was performed (body weight, height, upper arm girth, and skinfold). The research was performed in one of the nursery homes in Central Slovenia and it included 97 residents. Results: Reference nutrition status shows that 45 (46.4%) people’s nutrition is adequate, 43 people (44.3%) are at risk of undernutrition, and 9 (9.3%) are undernourished. The evaluation of nutrition status of residents shows that 35 (36%) are properly nourished, 12 (12%) are undernourished, and more than a half (50 or 52%) are at risk of undernutrition. The residents that, according to the MNA questionnaire, belong to the group of undernourished are on average the oldest, 87.9 years. Discussion and conclusion: It is proven that undernutrition is a serious problem that is not given enough attention. The most problematic are the elderly, as can be seen from this research: the older the residents, the worst their nutritional status is. The research revealed that majority of residents are at risk of undernutrition, and most of these residents depend on our help with most daily activities. The use of screening to evaluate nutrition is not well known and used in practice, which should change