Elderly persons' nutrition and food intake in a nursing home - a pilot study

Background Studies have shown that elderly persons in nursing homes can be malnourished. Aim To find out whether elderly persons’ nutritional needs were covered, whether food was satisfactorily served, and whether nursing staff had knowledge of the elderly’s nutritional needs. Method A quantitative study where four elderly women’s and two men’s meals during three periods of three days were calculated using «Diet32». Both the elderly and the care staff answered a questionnaire. Results Care staff considered the elderly persons’ nutritional needs covered. One of six elderly had a satisfying energy intake. Protein intake was too low. Vitamin D intake was especially low, while vitamin A and carbohydrate intake was satisfactory. Mineral intake was too low. Intake of saturated fat was too high, while it was too low for unsaturated and polyunsaturated fat. There were 14 hours between the evening meal and breakfast. Conclusion Dietary and nutritional calculations are good indicators for planning food and meals for elderly persons in nursing homes. Increasing the number of meals, changing the interval between meals and creating individual nutrition plans along with the elderly should be a joint task between the nurses and the kitche