Medicus, Vol. 14 No. 2_Gerijatrija, 2005.
Review article
The Necessity of Continuous Control of Nutrition in Old People’s Homes in Croatia
Jasna Bošnir
Mirjana Hegedus
Dinko Puntarić
Mira Zovko
Lidija Baričević
Goran Perko
Diana Mihok
Abstract
Regular diet, along with adequate physical
activity, has favourable effects on the functioning of organs and
organ systems, and it is especially helpful in the preservation
of muscle mass and slowing down of degenerative processes.
This contributes to the improvement in physical and mental
condition and functional abilities, as well as to the prevention of
a number of chronic diseases. Health needs of the elderly and
the quality of diet in old people’s homes were analysed within
the scientifi c and research project of the Ministry of Science
and Technology: “Register of Health and Institutionalised Care
Needs of the Elderly in the City of Zagreb”. The purpose was to
show the necessity of development and legislative regulation of
food standards for the elderly in order to continuously monitor
nutritive values of food samples from both state and private
old people’s homes and gerontology centres. It is important
to determine the total energy value of meals provided in old
people’s homes in the City of Zagreb and the Zagreb County
by comparing it with food standards for the elderly, and thus
set a possible Croatian model. The Centre for Gerontology
has developed the methods for recording, monitoring and
evaluation of health needs of elderly people in old people’s
homes – Records List No. 1 (Offi cial Gazette, no. 82/02; Offi cial
Gazette, no. 105/03; Offi cial Gazette, no. 28/05 and 58/05)
and Records List No. 4. – for monitoring of health and social
needs of elderly people in gerontology centres. The second
research activity within the above-mentioned Project covered
seven old people’s homes in the City of Zagreb and the Zagreb
County. The number of samples (lunch) taken was 21 and
they were analysed in the Public Health Institute of the City of
Zagreb. The analysis of data collected via Records List No. 1
(monitoring of health needs) about the body weight index of the
elderly in old people’s homes revealed the overweight as one of
the leading risk factors for their health and functional abilities.
The obtained results show that continuous gerontologicalpublic
health monitoring and control of the quality of diet and
nutritive values of each individual meal in state and private old
people’s homes, as well as in gerontology centres, should be
introduced.
Keywords
aging; proper diet; nutritionist; gerontology; old people’s homes; standards; quality of diet; legislation
Hrčak ID:
18861
URI
Publication date:
17.10.2005.
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