Abstract
Objective: The purpose of this study was to describe meal form, general conditions, and maximal tongue pressure of elderly care recipients in a nursing home and evaluate the utility of tongue pressure measurement for selecting suitable meal form.
Subjects and methods: Sixty-six residents (21 male and 45 female; over 65 years of age) in a nursing home in Hiroshima Prefecture took part in this study. The residents and their families were informed about the purpose and method of this study and gave their consent. General conditions including activities of daily living (ADL) and standardized level of independence for demented elderly, oral status, form of daily meal and maximum voluntary tongue pressure (MVTP) were examined.
Results: The number of subjects who could eat boiled rice, rice porridge, minced meal, or mashed meal was 29, 14, 19, and 4 respectively. Between these groups, there were no statistical differences in age and gender distribution. As general condition fell, the proportion of subjects who ate softer meal increased (p < 0.01). Furthermore, statistical analysis with logistic regression showed significant association between MVTP and meal form after adjustment for general conditions (p <0.05).
Conclusion: Beside the assessments of general condition, maximum tongue pressure measurement could have clinical utility for appropriate meal form selection for the elderly care recipients.
