Helping seniors eat well

Serving a meal can involve more than simply putting food on a plate. Creating an appealing atmosphere by using an attractive table setting, appropriate lighting, or other steps can make meals more palatable. And, results from a recent study in a Dutch nursing home indicate that changes in ambiance may help frail older people gain weight as well.

The Dutch researchers examined whether changes in physical environment, food service, and staffing could influence weight in a group of frail nursing home residents. Their study results are published in a current issue of Preventive Medicine .

Some treated to a pleasant dining experience

The one-year study began with 38 older adults, all of whom had resided in the nursing home for at least three months. All of the participants lived in one of four similarly populated wards. Residents of two of the wards were randomly assigned to the experimental group, while those in the other two wards served as a control group.

All of the participants received the same food throughout the study. However residents in the experimental group experienced changes designed to improve the atmosphere in the dining area, meal service, and the level of nursing assistance available during meals.

Simple changes add up

In the experimental group, changes included placing tablecloths and plants or flowers on all the dining tables just before the meals were served and playing background music during the meal. At the evening meal, the experimental group received sandwiches that were freshly prepared based on the resident's choice instead of the usual pre-made sandwich. In another departure from usual practice, the experimental group had coffee, tea, fruit juice, and other beverages continuously available to them.

The nursing schedule was also rearranged to make one nurse available for every two participants in the experimental group during meal times. This was in contrast to the usual standard of two to four nurses for 15 residents that generally allowed only those with known eating problems to receive mealtime assistance.

The researchers monitored the body weight of the participants over the course of the study. Overall, body weight in the experimental group increased an average of 3.3 kilograms (7.3 pounds), while average body weight in the control group remained unchanged.

One drawback to this study is that because the participants were in relatively poor health at the onset, a number of them (in both groups) died or withdrew during the course of the study. This significantly reduced the size of the research sample. It's also not possible to tell from the study if some of the changes made within the experimental group were more--or less--effective than others.

Taking the message home

Because it can be very difficult for frail older adults to add even a few pounds, it's worth noting that these older adults were able to gain weight with relatively minor changes. How can this be accomplished in a home setting? Having a companion or aide available to a frail adult during mealtimes, and having food prepared according to individual taste may help. Those caring for others or themselves can bear in mind that making the effort to create the proper ambiance for a meal will not only make dining more appealing, it might pique the appetite as well.

Source

Health effect of improved meal ambiance in a Dutch nursing home: a 1-year intervention study
MA. Mathey , VG. Vanneste , C. de Graaf ,  et al. , Preventive Medicine, 2001, vol. 32, pp. 416--423

Links

• Putting On the Pounds: What to Do to Gain Weight
• Make Your Meals a Variety Show
• Tasteful Considerations
• How One Lives Can Affect How One Eats
• To quickly access additional accurate information on this and other nutrition-related topics, visit Tufts University's Nutrition Navigator