Author(s): Dr. Dimple Arora, Soudeep Kr. Sau, Nilotpal Mandal, and Ananda Raj Goswami

Abstract:
The elderly peoples were particularly vulnerable group of our society. Ageing is often accompanied by the occurrence of illness, which may increase the risk of nutritional deficiency. A comparative study was therefore performed to evaluate the nutritional status as well as the physiological status of elderly living at old age homes and in community, in the Paschim Medinipur, West Bengal. A total of 200 elderly male subjects having aged over 60 years were selected at random for the study. The subjects were constituted by 100 inmates of old age homes and 100 people who were residing at their houses. Dietary intake pattern, anthropometric measurements and physiological examinations were the parameters used to evaluate the nutritional status of the selected subjects. The results showed that the elderly living in old age homes had lower weight, BMI, MUAC, chest circumference, waist circumference and hip circumference compared to those living at home. The present study also indicated that the systolic and diastolic blood pressure were high in elderly subjects living in old age home those living in old age homes compared to that the elderly at home. The elderly people living in old age homes were more hypertensive than that the elderly people living at home. The calorie intakes as well as the dietary intakes were of elderly subjects living in old age homes were significantly decreased compared to that the elderly at home. The uric acid level was unaltered in elderly subjects living in old age home compared to elderly subjects at home. From this study, it can be concluded that the health and nutritional status of elderly residing at their home was much better than elderly whose residing in old age home.

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