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Objective: This descriptive and comparative study was conducted to determine the cognitive functions and nutritional status of nursing-home-residing and community-dwelling elderly.
Methods: The study was carried out with a total of 204 elderly people who were community dwelling (n = 104) and nursing home residents (n = 100). Data were collected with the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) and standardized with the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE).
Results: Mean age of the nursing home residents and community-dwelling elderly people was 77.4 (SD = 6.7) years and 76.5 (SD = 7.4) years, respectively. Mean MMSE score was significantly different between nursing home residents (18.5 [SD = 4.5]) and community-dwelling elderly (22.1 [SD = 4.7]) (P < .05). Mean MNA score of nursing home residents (23.0 [SD = 3.7]) and community-dwelling elderly (24.6 [SD = 3.1]) was significantly different (P < .05).
Conclusion: Nursing home residents were at risk of malnutrition and cognitive impairment. Precautions for the protection of the residents for maintaining nutritional status and cognitive functions were recommended.
Cite this article as: Yılmaz M, Arguvanlı Çoban S, Şahin H, Ongan D. A comparison of cognitive functions and nutritional status in nursing home residents and community-dwelling elderly. Alpha Psychiatry. 2021;22(2):90-93.