Nutrient intakes of dependent and apparently independent nursing home patients.

The nutrient intake of 20 independent and 18 dependent elderly persons is assessed in nursing home long-stay wards of a Melbourne geriatric teaching hospital. An assessment of the specific nutrient densities of the diet and comparison with recommended nutrient densities indicates that, not only is nutrient intake compromised because of low intakes of food energy, but also the quality of the diet is unsatisfactory. In institutional studies, those aged persons receiving supervision at meal times consume a more adequate diet than those able to feed themselves.