Elderly Person, Undernutrition
Conditions
Keywords
Undernutrition, Elderly Person, Nursing home, Nutrition
Brief summary
Food is available in easy-to-grip bites that allow residents in care settings to use their fingers for food. This new way of eating can help limit weight loss, increase food intake, gain independence and improve the enjoyment of eating for residents.
Detailed description
According to the Haute Autorité de Santé (HAS), undernutrition affects between 15 and 38% of elderly people living in institutions and between 50 and 60% of hospitalized elderly people. In addition, a significant decrease in satisfaction with meals was observed with increasing level of dependence. The objective of the study is to evaluate the feasibility of implementing the finger food in care settings that could have a positive impact on the nutritional status of elderly people living in EHPAD.
Interventions
OTHERHand-Eating
eat-hands type food mode
OTHERControl
Usual eating mode
Sponsors
University Hospital, Tours
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH
Masking
NONE
Intervention model description
Randomized Pilot Study, Open-label and Parallel Groups
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
75 Years to 120 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Male or female residents over 75 years old living in a Accommodation facility for dependent elderly people for at least 3 months * Presenting at least one of the following 3 criteria: * Unintentional weight loss ≥ 5% in 1 month * Involuntary weight loss ≥ 10% in 6 months or compared to the usual weight or compared to the weight at entry to the EHPAD * Confirmed sarcopenia: * Male (at least one of the 2 criteria): * Dynamometer (kg): \< 27 AND calf circumference (cm): \< 31 * Impedancemetry: appendicular muscle mass index \< 20 kg OR appendicular muscle mass index \< 7 kg/m² * Woman (at least one of the 2 criteria): * Dynamometer (kg): \< 16 AND calf circumference (cm): \< 31 * Impedancemetry: appendicular muscle mass index \< 15 kg OR appendicular muscle mass index \< 5.5 kg/m² * Loss of autonomy according to the Tully scale \< 12/18 with a score of 2 or 3 on the item Able to bite, chew, swallow without making false routes * Person having given free, informed and express consent * Person having an affiliation to a social security scheme
Exclusion criteria
* Protected person: safeguard of justice * Swallowing disorder having a contra-indication to the texture of hand-eating meals. * Lack of motor skills in both hands * Specific diet: pleasure diet, salt-free, sugar-free, fiber-free, artificial nutrition * Wearer of a pacemaker
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Audit & Questionnaire of feasibility | After 3 patients included and at the end of study (6 months) | Feasibility of implementing finger food for elderly patients in care settings will be evaluate with audit and questionnaire for caregivers by a dietician independent of the study. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | Every two weeks during 6 months | Weight in kilograms |
| Food consumption | Each week during 6 months | Each week, a semi-quantitative evaluation of food intake will be performed for 3 days on a specific form (validated by the Francophone Society of Clinical and Metabolic Nutrition ). Every month, dietician will analyze these forms. |
| Autonomy (EBS) | Every month during 6 months | Autonomy for food intake will be assessed by the Eating Behavior Scale - EBS (Tully MW, Matrakas KL, Muir J, Musallam K. The Eating Behavior Scale. A simple method of assessing functional ability in patients with Alzheimer's disease. J Gerontol Nurs. 1997 Jul;23(7):9-15; quiz 54-5. doi: 10.3928/0098-9134-19970701-08. PMID: 9287601) by a dietetician. The scores on this scale range from 0 to 18 : 18 is the best score, which means that the person is completely independent in eating. |
| Eating pleasure | Every month during 6 months | An evaluation of the pleasure of eating will be carried out once a month by the dietician via an hedonic scale with 3 face symbols: smiling face - neutral face - disappointed face. |
| False routes | Every week during 6 months | The occurrence of false routes will be collected throughout the study. |
Countries
France
Contacts
Primary ContactLaura COUTON
Backup ContactWiebe de JONG, MSc
Outcome results
None listed