Indices of Undernutrition in the Care-dependent Elderly

Undernutrition is a factor associated with care dependency in the elderly. Undernutrition means the state that a nutrient necessary to live healthfully can’t take in. This study examined the nutritional status and mental/physical functions of the care-dependent elderly living in facilities and home covered by long-term care insurance to clarify factors influencing their nutritional status, as well as indices for the early identification of undernutrition among them. I analyzed it about the Alb level and BMI to become indices of undernutrition in this study. Data regarding the actual status of 529 care-dependent elderly individuals, 369 (69.8%) residents of Long-term Care Insurance-covered facilities (facility group), and 160 (30.2%) living at home (home group), were obtained in 9 arbitrarily selected areas. Care dependency was frequently marked in the facility group, while it was generally mild in the home group. Regarding the nutritional status, there were no differences in the BMI between the groups, but the Alb level was lower in the former. The Alb level was also significantly correlated with 4 factors: BMI, mode of feeding, dietary intake, and ability to walk. On detailed analysis, decreases in the Alb level were associated with altered modes of feeding and a reduced ability to walk in the facility group, and a decreased dietary intake in the home group. These results support the feasibility of predicting decreases in the Alb level by clarifying altered modes of feeding and a reduced ability to walk among those with marked care dependency, and by detecting decreases in the dietary intake among those with mild care dependency even when the Alb level is unclear. The factors identified in this study may be new indices for the identification of undernutrition in the care-dependent elderly.