Affiliation:
1. Division of Rehabilitation for Speech and Swallowing Disorders The Nippon Dental University Tama Oral Rehabilitation Clinic Chiyoda‐ku Tokyo Japan
2. Division of Rehabilitation for Speech and Swallowing Disorders The Nippon Dental University School of Life Dentistry Chiyoda‐ku Tokyo Japan
Abstract
AbstractObjectivesMaintaining the texture of the food that nursing home residents eat is critical for maintaining quality of life and preventing malnutrition. The aim of the present study was to identify the conditions necessary for maintaining food texture for this population.Materials and MethodsThe study included 143 people for whom reevaluation 1‐year post‐baseline was possible from among 256 dependent older people who consumed solid food on admission to a nursing home (baseline). The age, sex, primary disease, activities of daily living, nutritional status, oral status, swallowing ability, primitive reflexes, and food texture of the participants were determined. The participants who ate pureed or jelly after 1 year were identified and evaluated to determine factors related to maintenance of a solid diet.ResultsA total of 21 participants (14.7%) changed to a pureed or jelly diet after 1 year. Multivariate analysis showed good activities of daily living (p < .05), good swallowing ability (p < .05), and maintained nutritional status (p < .05) to be correlated with solid food maintenance.ConclusionsMaintaining activities of daily living, feeding and swallowing ability, and nutritional status appear to be important factors for the maintenance of a solid diet.