Obesity and nursing home: a review and an update

Abstract

Background & aims: The prevalence of obese in nursing home resident is increasing, causing an important change in patient's management and health assistance. Although evidence suggests that obesity is associated with comorbidity, disability, and mortality in older persons, such relationship has rarely been explored in the nursing home population and research is still mainly conducted in community-dwelling people.

Methods: A review of the literature identified 11 suitable papers that discuss current knowledge about the management of obesity in nursing home.

Results: The specificity of the obese nursing home residents is often to be disabled survivors of previous complications related to obesity with short life expectancy. Whether nutritional treatment and physical activity can improve clinical condition and quality of life in the obese remains an open question. Strengths and weaknesses of current methodologies in the assessment of adiposity are needed to be carefully considered, especially in a clinical setting with limited resources.

Conclusions: More investigations are required to understand obesity as a risk factor for institutionalization and a criterion of non-admission in nursing home at the same time. Although difficulties to implement these approaches are present, effective and feasible treatments for obesity should be tested.

Keywords: Disability; Elderly; Nursing home; Obesity.