Z Gastroenterol 2012; 50 - A28
DOI: 10.1055/s-0032-1312382

The legal effect of changes of recent years in nutritional status of people who lives in social homes

E Hartmann 1, M Figler 2, Z Lelovics 3
  • 1International Institute of Nutrition Research, Pécs, Hungary
  • 2Institute of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pécs, Hungary
  • 3“Kaposi Mór” Teaching Hospital, Kaposvár, Hungary

Introduction: Long-term residential institutions provide safety, full service (nutrition, nourishment) and peace for indigent elderly, ill and/or disabled people. Changes in law in the last few years significantly affected the parameters of treatment.

Materials and methods: We assessed the nutritional status in 57, 37 and 41 long-term institutions in 2008, 2009 and 2010; we used the nDay and a self-made questionnaire. The 35/2009. regulation of the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs does not order the employment of dietitians in social institutions; according to the 340/2007. regulation of the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs people could be admitted to a social home whose care need more than four hours a day. We suppose that these changes in law have affects on the residents.

Results: In 2004, 26.4% of the residents belonged to the group of high risk for malnutrition. 58.7% of the residents had dietitian, 14.1% of them received supplementary nutritional formula. In 2008 45.7% of them required basic care less than 45 minutes, 13.6% them needed more than 240 minutes. Data from 2010: 22.0% of the residents belonged to the group of high risk for malnutrition. After the 35/2009. regulation of the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs took effect only 1% of the residents had dietitian. 7.8% of the residents received supplementary nutritional formula, the rate of residents needed basic care more than 240 minutes increased.

Conclusions: These regulations greatly weakened the hardly reached trend of improvement in the common nutritional status. In long-term residential institutions the appropriate diets and the adequate therapy of formula feeding will be questioned without dietitians. According to the regulations there is no need for dietitians, while the residents may be starving. The regulations are the obstacles of personalized nutritional support and care which involve the development of malnutrition and its complications.