Improving nutritional status of older persons with dementia using a national preventive care program

• Published in: The Journal of nutrition, health & aging health & aging, 2017-03, Vol.21 (3), p.292-298
• Main Authors: Johansson, Linda, Wijk, H., Christensson, L.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Aging; Body Weight; Dementia; Dementia - physiopathology; Female; Geriatrics/Gerontology; Health Promotion - methods; Humans; Male; Malnutrition - physiopathology; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Neurosciences; Nursing process; Nutrition; Nutrition Assessment; Nutritional Status - physiology; Preventive Health Services - legislation & jurisprudence; Preventive Medicine - methods; Primary Care Medicine; quality improvement; Quality of Life Research; registers; Sweden
• ISSN: 1279-7707; 1760-4788; 1760-4788
• DOI: 10.1007/s12603-016-0737-7

Objective The aim of the study was to investigate the outcome of change in body weight associated with use of a structured preventive care process among persons with dementia assessed as at risk of malnutrition or malnourished. The preventive care process is a pedagogical model used in the Senior Alert (SA) quality register, where nutrition is one of the prioritized areas and includes four steps: assessment, analysis of underlying causes, actions performed and outcome. Design An analysis of data from SA with a pre-post design was performed. Setting The participants were living in ordinary housing or special housing in Sweden. Participants 1912 persons, 65 years and older, registered in both SA and the dementia quality register Svedem were included. Intervention A national preventive care program including individualized actions. Measurements The Mini Nutritional Assessment-Short Form was used to assess nutritional status at baseline. Body weight was measured during baseline and follow-up (7-106 days after baseline). Results 74.3% persons were malnourished or at risk of malnutrition. Those at risk of malnutrition or malnourished who were registered in all four steps of the preventive care process, increased in body weight from baseline (Md 60.0 kg) to follow-up (Md 62.0 kg) (p=0.013). In those with incomplete registration no increase in body weight was found. Conclusion Using all steps in the structured preventive care process seems to improve nutritional status of persons with dementia assessed as at risk of malnutrition or malnourished. This study contributes to the development of evidence-based practice regarding malnutrition and persons with dementia.