The Influence of Cognitive Status on Elder Food Choice and Meal Service Satisfaction

This article describes the testing of a new nursing home food delivery system that empowers elders to choose the foods they want to eat and gives them an active voice in menu development.

Using a 2-group, repeated measures design, 61 elderly residents from 2 eastern Washington nursing homes were recruited to participate in a 6-month study. Outcome measures included food and meal service satisfaction, body weight, serum prealbumin, and food intake.

Serum prealbumin levels and body weight increased post intervention for treatment group residents. Mini-Mental Status Examination (MMSE) scores were not associated with the changes in serum prealbumin, body weight, or food intake.

The MMSE scores did not influence the resident's ability to actively participate in the rate the food process or choose the foods they liked and preferred to eat. Cognitive impaired older adults experienced weight gain similarly to higher functioning elderly individuals.