Eating enough does not mean eating well! Find out whether you are malnourished in 1 minute

Since 80-year-old Grandpa Li fell and injured himself last month, he has had difficulty walking due to his leg injury, his activity level has decreased significantly, his appetite has worsened, and he has lost his appetite for food. The children and grandchildren who came back from the north to visit were very worried that their grandfather might not eat enough, leading to malnutrition and affecting his health. In fact, you can use a simple "Short Version Mini Nutrition Assessment Scale" to test the elders at home and find out whether they are at risk of malnutrition!

Poor teeth and decreased physical fitness in the elderly may lead to malnutrition

According to statistics from the National Health Administration, the elderly population in Taiwan reached 11.8% in June 2014, exceeding 2.74 million people. It is estimated that in 2018, the proportion of the elderly population will even exceed 14%. However, the chronic disease problems associated with the elderly have not been resolved, including poor teeth, decreased physical fitness, loss of appetite, etc., which will cause nutritional problems for the elderly, and in turn affect the lives of the elderly themselves and their caregivers.

In order to clearly understand the nutritional status of the elderly, you might as well use the "Short Version Mini Nutrition Assessment Scale" used in Taiwan's long-term care field to get a glimpse of the situation. Through a 1-minute test of 6 simple questions, you can quickly assess whether you are at risk of malnutrition. If there is a risk, you must go to the hospital to consult the nutrition clinic for further assessment.

Eating enough does not mean eating well. Self-examination is the best

Nutritionist Su Yanchen said that many elderly people suffer from loss of appetite due to aging, injuries, etc., which can easily lead to unbalanced nutritional intake in the long run and accelerate the deterioration of body functions. However, such changes are gradual and slow, and often by the time the family discovers them, there are already clinical manifestations of the pathology, such as weakness, susceptibility to infection and other problems. It is too late to remedy the situation, and it is difficult to make up for it, which makes the family fall into the abyss of regret.

Poor teeth, decreased physical fitness, loss of appetite, etc. can all cause nutritional problems for the elderly.

In fact, the regrets caused by malnutrition can be prevented. If you want to detect it early and treat it in time, you can use the Taiwan version of the "Short Version Mini Nutrition Assessment Scale" to test the elderly in your family. The "Mini Nutrition Assessment Scale" is a nutrition screening and assessment tool suitable for the elderly. It can clearly distinguish between malnourished groups and groups at risk of malnutrition, and provide appropriate nutritional intervention to effectively avoid the deterioration of nutritional status.

The content of the "Short Version Mini Nutrition Assessment Scale" is quite simple, with only 6 questions in total. The test items include: loss of appetite, weight changes, mobility, acute disease attacks, mental state, body mass index (calculation method: weight (kg) / height (m)2), etc. In addition, the form is very easy to fill out. You only need to fill out the form based on the elderly person’s physical condition over the past three months. The full score is 14 points. A score greater than or equal to 12 points indicates normal (no risk of malnutrition). However, a score less than or equal to 11 points indicates a possible malnutrition problem and a more in-depth and complete test must be conducted.

If nutritional testing is done early, family care will not be a problem

If the test score is less than 11 points, don't worry. When you accompany the elderly out, you can go to a hospital, clinic or nutrition consultation agency near home to obtain the full version of the "Mini Nutrition Assessment Scale" to further understand the elderly's physical condition.

As for the full version of the "Mini Nutrition Assessment Scale", it has a total of 18 questions, covering eating patterns, lifestyles, etc. You can ask medical personnel for assistance to effectively screen whether there are malnutrition problems, and work with nutritionists to formulate nutritional prescriptions to prescribe the right medicine and improve the health of the elderly.

Reminder: Early detection and early treatment, regularly conduct "Short Version Mini Nutrition Assessment Scale" tests for the elderly to understand their internal nutritional status and improve their health status and quality of life.

【Short version of Mini Nutrition Assessment Scale】

1. In the past three months, have you eaten less and less because of poor appetite, digestive problems, or difficulty chewing or swallowing?

0 points = severe loss of appetite

1 point = moderate loss of appetite

2 points = No change in appetite

2. How has your weight changed in the past three months?

0 points = weight loss > 3 kg

1 point = Don’t know

2 points = weight loss of 1 to 3 kg

3 points = No change in weight

3. Actionability?

0 points = bedridden or wheelchair-bound

1 point = Can get out of bed or wheelchair but cannot move freely

2 points = Can move freely

4. Have you had any mental stress or acute illness in the past three months?

0 points = Yes

2 points = No

5. Neuropsychiatric problems?

0 points = severe dementia or depression

1 point = mild dementia

2 points = No mental problems

6. Body Mass Index (BMI) = Weight (kg) / Height (square) (m)

0 points = BMI < 19

1 point = 19 ≦ BMI < 21

2 points = 21 ≦ BMI < 23

3 points = BMI ≧ 23

Explanation of screening scores: Questions 1 to 6 above (maximum score 14) with a score greater than or equal to 12 indicates normal (no risk of malnutrition); and a score less than or equal to 11 indicates possible malnutrition.