目的:研究家庭送餐对降低有营养不良风险的社区老年人的虚弱程度的潜在益处。
方法:回顾性研究,单组观察方法。
方法:美国中西部一家大型家庭送餐机构。
方法:1090名接受家庭送餐服务的社区老年人,通过美国老年人法案资助,2020年6月至2021年12月。
方法:脆弱状态是通过家庭护理脆弱量表(HCFS)进行测量的,该量表是由机构工作人员常规管理的,作为质量改进项目的一部分。HCFS是在膳食服务开始时管理的,饭后3个月,和6个月后开始吃饭。
结果:在基线时,55.4%的客户被发现处于营养不良的高风险中。尽管在整个随访期间,高营养风险和低营养风险组的HCFS都有显著和持续的下降,高营养风险组(Δ=-1.9;95%CI:[-2.7,-1.1];p<0.001)与低营养风险组(Δ=-1.5;95%CI:[-2.3,-0.7];p<0.001)相比,从基线至6个月的衰弱减少更大.与那些独自生活的人相比,与其他人一起生活的患者在基线和低和高营养不良风险组3个月随访时表现出更高水平的虚弱.
结论:家庭送餐的客户通常面临虚弱和营养不良的风险。家庭送餐计划,旨在减少老年人的营养不良,可以作为一个有希望的解决方案,减少脆弱的老龄化人口的脆弱。
OBJECTIVE: To examine the potential benefit of home-delivered meals for reducing frailty levels among community-dwelling older adults at risk for malnutrition.
METHODS: A retrospective, single-group observational approach.
METHODS: One large home-delivered meal agency in the Midwest United States.
METHODS: 1090 community-dwelling older adults who received home-delivered meal services, funded through the Older Americans Act, between June 2020 and December 2021.
METHODS: Frailty status was measured by the Home Care Frailty Scale (HCFS) which was routinely administered by agency staff to home-delivered meal clients as part of a quality improvement project. The HCFS was administered at the start of meal services, 3-months after meals began, and 6-months after meals began.
RESULTS: At baseline, 55.4% of clients were found to be at high risk for malnutrition. While there was a significant and consistent decline in HCFS throughout the follow-up period for both high and low nutritional risk groups, the reduction in frailty from baseline to 6-months was greater for the high nutritional risk group (Δ = -1.9; 95% CI: [-2.7, -1.1]; p < 0.001) compared to those with low nutritional risk (Δ = -1.5; 95% CI: [-2.3, -0.7]; p < 0.001). Compared to those who lived alone, clients who lived with other individuals presented with higher levels of frailty at baseline and 3-month follow-up for both low and high malnutrition risk groups.
CONCLUSIONS: Home-delivered meal clients are commonly at risk for both frailty and malnutrition. Home-delivered meal programs, which are intended to reduce malnutrition among older adults, may serve as a promising solution for reducing frailty in the vulnerable aging population.