September 21, 2001

Baycrest researchers study effects of meal time on elderly

Traditional Meal Practices Inappropriate for Alzheimer Patients: Long-term Care Facilities Do Not Meet Nutritional Needs of Elderly Alzheimer Patients

Washington, DC - The hearty lunch and dinner served at most long-term care facilities may not meet the nutritional needs of elderly Alzheimer patients.

Elderly persons with Alzheimer's disease in the advanced stage (severe behavioral and cognitive difficulties) have stimulated appetites in the morning and depressed appetites later in the day, according to a recent study. The traditional meal servings of long-term care facilities, a light breakfast and large lunch and dinner, are counter to these patients' responsiveness to food.

The findings from the study, published in the October 2001 issue of the Journal of Gerontology: Medical Sciences, suggest one cause for the widespread undernutrition of elderly persons with Alzheimer's disease who live in long-term care facilities, despite the concentrated efforts of health care staff.

"By maintaining a traditional profile of meals, long-term care facilities are serving the most energy- and nutrient-dense meals when elderly persons with advanced Alzheimer's disease are least likely to eat," wrote Karen W. H. Young and colleagues from the University of Toronto, Canada, and Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care, Toronto, Canada.

Young and colleagues assessed food delivery and intake of 25 elderly Alzheimer's disease patients at a long-term care facility. The researchers then analyzed how patients' cognitive status, behavioral function, and body mass index affected food intake.

The researchers concluded, "The results of this study question the wisdom of current meal delivery practices exercised in long-term care facilities and suggest that they should be redesigned to optimize the actual eating behaviors of elderly persons with Alzheimer's disease to better meet the nutritional needs of this at-risk group."

The Journal of Gerontology: Medical Sciences is a refereed publication of The Gerontological Society of America, the national organization of professionals in the field of aging.