Abstract
The objective of the present study was to evaluate nutritional status following intake of food for individuals with mastication or swallowing difficulty (soft food) that was introduced to nursing homes, and to assess the effects of the introduced diet. Subjects were residents at nursing home R, which introduced soft food, and at geriatric health services facility S, which provided minced food. The following results were obtained.
1) In comparison to subjects eating normal food, subjects eating soft food had a higher care requirement level, degree of being bedridden, and awareness level in addition to a lower BMI.
2) Serum albumin levels of subjects eating soft food were the similar to those of subjects eating normal food at facilities R and S.
3) Subjects eating soft food had a high eating rate, and maintained the target nutritional intake.
4) No annual changes were observed for the nutritional status (physical condition, blood characteristics) of subjects eating soft food.
The above findings suggest that diets based on soft food are suitable for maintaining and improving nutritional status in addition to life functions.
