[Common nutritional problems in the elderly: the experience of residents of a long-term care facility]

Nutrition is an unavoidable issue throughout the field of long-term care, occupying a key position in the system. Along with the current trends of population aging, chronic changes in morbidity, functional impairment of health, progressive complexity of care content, the elongation of the caring period and the consequences of these trends, the long-term care burden has become more challenging than ever. Nutrition is just one of many key issues presented by these challenges. The factors associated with nutritional problems are numerous and complex. Residents of long-term care facilities are both representative of elderly people generally and reasonably approachable, and therefore constitute a suitable sample for investigation. To grasp and define the causes of the nutritional problems, conduct periodic nutritional assessments, monitor diet & nutrition, and actively intervene to improve these areas, can be regarded as necessary if the needs of basic and advanced nutrition are to be met, and nutrition is to take its rightful place in the practice of long-term care. Nutritional problems usually consist of malnutrition from inappropriate intake, over-nutrition from over-intake, deficiency of special nutrients, and imbalance of intake from inappropriate ratio of food components. Associated factors include physiological change, morbid condition, medication, financial support and social support.