Nutritional considerations for the pureed diet texture in dysphagic elderly

In long-term care facilities little attention is given to the nutritional density, flavor, and presentation of the pureed diet texture. Use of the food processor to puree food offers opportunities for the development of pureed meals that are flavorful and appealing. This article presents guidelines that foodservice departments can use to transform their traditional pureed meals into “cuisine puree”.     

Adapting the mealtime environment: Setting the stage for eating

In long-term care facilities, mealtime should be an important and exciting event that residents and staff look forward to three times a day. Providing residents with a homelike, pleasant dining atmosphere should promote socialization, enhance awareness, and increase appetities, thereby improving the residents' quality of life. This paper discusses the subtle but strong influence that the environment has in preparing residents for eating. Environmental factors that promote a positive mealtime experience are discussed.     

Nutritional Status of Patients with Alzheimer's Disease: A 1-Year Study

Objective To describe the effects of activity level and energy intake over time on the body weight of patients with Alzheimer's disease compared with cognitively normal subjects.Design Repeated measures, case-control design with measurements taken at quarterly intervals for 12 months. Subjects were grouped by gender and activity level (sedentary or active) within cognitive status.Setting The Alzheimer's disease Special Care Unit, The Clinical Research Center at University of California, San Diego, and the Fred Kasch Exercise Physiology Laboratories at San Diego State University.Patients Seventeen institutionalized subjects with Alzheimer's disease and 23 community-dwelling control subjects successfully completed the 1-year study.Measurements Before admission to the nursing home, the patients with Alzheimer's disease had a formal assessment for dementia, which showed that they met the criteria of the National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke and the Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Association work group for probable or possible Alzheimer's disease. Control subjects were screened using the Information-Memory-Concentration Mental Status Test and were found to have no cognitive disabilities. Baseline and quarterly measurements included height, weight, bioimpedance for body composition, and activity by accelerometer counts. Dietary intake of energy and protein was determined at baseline and at 6 and 12 months.Results Patients with Alzheimer's disease had a significantly higher energy intake than patients in the control group. Both women and men with Alzheimer's disease maintained their weight. Women with Alzheimer's disease had higher percentage of fat-free mass than the control group, but there were no differences in body composition between the groups of men.Conclusion Subjects with Alzheimer's disease can maintain their weight if they are given a diet with adequate energy (35 kcal/kg of body weight). J Am Diet Assoc. 1996; 96:1013-1018.