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Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
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| The relationship between difficulties in feeding oneself and loss of weight in nursing-home patients with dementia | | Author(s) | Aad M M Berkhout, Herman J M Cools, Hans C van Houwelingen |
| Journal title | Age and Ageing, vol 27, no 5, September 1998 |
| Pages | pp 637-641 |
| Keywords | Dementia ; Feeding capacity ; Malnutrition ; Weight ; Patients [nursing homes] ; Netherlands. |
| Annotation | The cause on unintentional weight loss in demented nursing home patients was investigated in 250 resident patients and 264 new and consecutively admitted patients aged over 65 in a Dutch nursing home. Their body weight was measured at 3 month intervals and related to the primary diagnosis, problems in feeding, and other factors influencing food intake. Results indicate that for both demented and non-demented nursing home patients, a strong relationship exists between weight loss and choosing food, bringing it to the mouth and chewing: the greater these difficulties, the lower the body weight. This relationship was more evident in existing residents than in newly admitted patients. Body weight was not well correlated with diagnosis of dementia, but was correlated with poor appetite and immobility. Disabilities resulting from dementia can lead to an inadequate intake of food, and thus to weight loss in nursing home residents. (RH). |
| Accession Number | CPA-981119010 A |
| Classmark | EA: CA4: CSM: 4X6: LHB:LF: 76H |
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing |
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| ...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing. |
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