Supervisors info:
Σφηκάκης Πέτρος, Καθηγητής, Ιατρική Σχολή, ΕΚΠΑ, Επιβλέπων
Κραββαρίτη Ευρυδίκη, Ακαδημαϊκή Υπότροφος, Ιατρική Σχολή, ΕΚΠΑ
Δούση- Αναγνωστοπούλου Υπατία, Αναπληρώτρια Καθηγήτρια, Ιατρική Σχολή, ΕΚΠΑ
Summary:
An elderly person is usually defined as a person aged 65 or over. Aging inevitably brings physiological changes. Some of these changes themselves or in combination with chronic or acute diseases are capable of affecting food intake, chewing, swallowing, metabolism and absorption resulting in insufficient nutrition. However, apart from the purely biological factors, the psychology of the elderly as well as their environment in relation to financial resources can influence. On the other hand, nutrition itself is an important regulator of the health and well-being of the elderly. Inadequate nutrition contributes to the undernutrition that leads to the development of many diseases and is also considered to be an important factor contributing to the complex etiology of sarcopenia and vulnerability. Malnutrition is associated with increased rates of infections and pressure ulcers, increased length of hospital stay, increased length of recovery after acute illness, increased mortality, and poorer quality of life. On the other hand, dysphagia, in addition to further reducing food intake, can also lead to aspiration, resulting in aspiration pneumonia. So, we understand how important it is to support adequate nutrition and safe swallowing. The normal way of feeding is oral feeding with normal meal preparation. However, many times, the elderly are unable to consume food in this form and may need changes in posture/position, environment or even food modification. Food fortification or nutritional supplements may be needed to treat malnutrition. Early detection of these problems is critical for a better outcome. An important role in this is played by the staff of the nursing homes, who must be able to identify any signs of malnutrition or signs of dysphagia in the elderly through regular checks.
The purpose of this work is the creation of a Best Practice Guide for Nutritional problems and Dysphagia, which aims to strengthen all professionals working in older adult care homes in Greece. These guidelines formed part of a wider Good Practice Guide for the prevention and management of common conditions involving older people housed in older adult care homes in Greece, and were used in the cycle of training lectures for carers organized for the program " Improving the life of seniors ".
For this reason, this was a systematic review to collect the existing literature and analyze it, according to predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. The results of this work show that in the international literature there are few reviews of the practices in the problems of nutrition and dysphagia in the elderly living in nursing homes, while in the Greek literature there are none. These general guidelines contain the basis for creating local practical guidelines to meet the requirements of the NFIs. In summary, it is deemed necessary to carry out a greater number of future research, systematic reviews and meta-analyses to create guidelines for the management of the multidimensional field of nutrition and dysphagia specifically for nursing homes in Greece.
Keywords:
Guidelines, Best practise guide, Undernutrition, Dysphagia, Nursing homes
