Introduction: Aging is a process that includes structural, functional and metabolic changes. In the last years the number of elderly is increasing. In the hierarchy of basic needs in life according to Maslow, nutrition is on the same level as air. To reach optimum nutritional status it is necessary to adjust the input of nutrients by increasing or reducing their amount. Undernutrition or danger of undernutrition is a frequent problem among the elderly at the nursing home. To prevent further deterioration of medical condition it is necessary to perform screening of nutritional hazard regularly and act accordingly. Purpose: The purpose of the thesis is to find the nutritional status in the nursery home. Methods: The Slovene MNA questionnaire was used and the basic anthropologic measuring was performed (body weight, height, upper arm girth, and skinfold). The research was performed in one of the nursery homes in Central Slovenia and it included 97 residents. Results: Reference nutrition status shows that 45 (46.4%) people’s nutrition is adequate, 43 people (44.3%) are at risk of undernutrition, and 9 (9.3%) are undernourished. The evaluation of nutrition status of residents shows that 35 (36%) are properly nourished, 12 (12%) are undernourished, and more than a half (50 or 52%) are at risk of undernutrition. The residents that, according to the MNA questionnaire, belong to the group of undernourished are on average the oldest, 87.9 years. Discussion and conclusion: It is proven that undernutrition is a serious problem that is not given enough attention. The most problematic are the elderly, as can be seen from this research: the older the residents, the worst their nutritional status is. The research revealed that majority of residents are at risk of undernutrition, and most of these residents depend on our help with most daily activities. The use of screening to evaluate nutrition is not well known and used in practice, which should change.
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