Institutionalized elderly alimentation: relation between complaints and sociodemographic characteristics

Abstract

Introduction: One of the implications of the population aging is the increased demand for long-term care facilities. In some cases, the institutionalization can cause great stress to the elderly, making them more vulnerable. Therefore, these elderly often cannot compensate the inherent aging changes and, among those changes, are the difficulties in the alimentation process. Aim: to verify the relationship between complaints in alimentation and sociodemographic characteristics in institutionalized elderly. Method: This is a cross-sectional study in a long-term care facility for seniors. Data collection was conducted through self-reported screening. All elderly residents, except the ones with severe dementia or incapable of self-reporting, participated in the study. Results: 58.1% of seniors reported mastication changes, while 38.7% reporteddeglutition disorders. There was significant relation between mastication changeswith gender, age, education level and deglutition disorders with the age variable.Conclusion: it was verified a significant relation between alimentation complaints and gender, age, education level and level of dependency in institutionalized elderly.