知的障害者の栄養状態と栄養管理

Abstract

Appropriate nutritional management for disabled individuals has attracted increasing attention in Japan following the implementation of the Handicapped Person Independence Support Law in April 2006. However, research dealing with health and diseases among individuals with intellectual disabilities lags far behind that dealing with health and diseases of individuals without such disabilities. Individuals with intellectual disabilities may have problems related to over– nutrition, under– nutrition, co– morbidity, eating behavior including bulimia and swallowing food whole, oral care, and drug administration. It is therefore necessary to provide dietary and nutritional support according to the individual needs of disabled individuals in order to promote their independence and quality of life. The long-term care insurance system for the elderly was revised in October 2005 to include nutritional care and management (NCM) which is a program providing nutritional management services that are designed specifically for each individual. NCM covers nutritional screening, nutritional assessment, nutritional care plan preparation, conferences, nutritional care plan completion, and nutritional care implementation, monitoring and assessment. It is necessary in the future to similarly implement NCM for disabled individuals and to provide dietary and nutritional support by using a multi–disciplinary approach centered on registered dietitians.