2006 Volume 10 Issue 2 Pages 161-168
The present study examined how，in a newly opened special nursing-care home for the aged，the residents underwent changes in their nutritional condition as a result of eating meals having a texture selected to match their individual eating and swallowing functions．Disparity was recognized in the textural property values between those eating Food Form Ⅰ (soft food) and Food Form Ⅱ (soft，one-bite food) which was designed for subjects with good swallowing functions．In contrast，the textural properties were evaluated as soft，highly cohesive，and uniform for Food Form Ⅲ (soft，mashed food) and Food Form IV (soft jelly and food thickened with commercial agents)，which were for subjects with poor swallowing functions．Transition in the BMI values of the subjects rose slightly with time，for all four Food Forms (as far as the mean BMI values were concerned)．In particular，the standard deviation of BMI for subjects eating Food Form Ⅳ，who had the poorest swallowing functions among all subjects，decreased compared with that measured at the time the nursing-care home was opened．These results demonstrate that， in step with the moderate increase in the BMI values，the nutritional condition of the subjects eating Food Form Ⅳ improved in general during the same period．Nine months after the opening of the nursing home，the subjects underwent measurement of triceps skinfold thickness，mid-upper arm circumference，mid-upper arm muscle circumference，and mid-upper arm muscle area．The mean values of those measurements indicated no unfavorable nutritional condition in any of the four Food Form subjects．These findings imply that，by assessing the individual swallowing functions of the elderly，detemining what food form is most appropriate for each，and managing the textural properties of each food form，each elderly person will be able to intake more food orally．This will enable them to secure their required energy level and ultimately improve their nutritional condition．
