Tailoring of nutritional support for older adults in the community.

A study in Ontario, Canada of 137 elderly home delivered meal recipients, 90 women and 47 men, confirmed the expected nutritional risk factors of living situation, functionality, morbidity and medication use. They were more pronounced among women than men. Seven-day food records showed energy intakes below the average for healthy Canadians of a similar age and gender. The probability of nutritional risk was highest for calcium, magnesium, zinc and folate with some gender differences, except for folate. While home delivered meals, if fully utilized, can provide considerable nutrition support, energy/nutrient inadequacies may persist among recipients unable to complement the meal appropriately. These older adults may require diet counseling and additional support including targeted nutritional supplementation.