Abstract
Preventive care for frail older adults includes providing tailor-made diet information suited to their health conditions. The present study aims to explore the current situation and challenges of home nutrition advice for Japanese frail older adults using qualitative data from a ten-person group discussion among care managers. As the results of our analysis, nine themes were identified: (1) Homebound older adults develop poor eating habits; meals turn into a lonely and unpleasant experience; (2) With age, people’s eating and drinking patterns tend to deteriorate; (3) Many older adults and their family know little about food management according to condition and medication; (4) Many older adults do not understand the importance of maintaining a proper diet; (5) Many homebound older adults do not worry about oral hygiene and swallowing ability; (6) Some older adults are at high risk for food safety problems; (7) Only a limited range of boil-in-the-bag meal options are available for older adults; (8) Many older adults feel unduly confident in their own nutrition management skills; and (9) For many family caregivers, nutrition management is a burden. We conclude that the provision of tailor-made information by skilled dietitians and high-quality home-delivered meal service are essential for the successful nutrition management of the older adults.
Highlights
Due to the aging of the Japanese population, as well as the changing preferences of older patients and their families, a growing number of older people are opting to spend the last years of their life in a community setting such as their own home [1]
Frail older adults are especially prone to protein-energy malnutrition (PEM) due to appetite loss and a decline in chewing power and digestive function, among other issues [1,3]
The present study aims to explore the current situation and challenges of home nutrition service for Japanese frail older adults using qualitative data from a focus group discussion among care managers
Summary
Due to the aging of the Japanese population, as well as the changing preferences of older patients and their families, a growing number of older people are opting to spend the last years of their life in a community setting such as their own home [1]. The growth of the nuclear family in recent years has triggered an increase in the number of aged households, generating a progressive decline in the quality of the living environment of homebound older adults [2]. The community is expected to assume a growing responsibility in caring for frail older adults [1]. Frail older adults are especially prone to PEM due to appetite loss and a decline in chewing power and digestive function, among other issues [1,3]. Frail older adults need tailor-made diet information suited to their health conditions
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