Malnutrition in elderly people is associated with many adverse clinical outcomes. However, few studies exist investigating malnutrition in the community setting. This study aimed to report the prevalence of malnutrition in elderly people living in warden-assisted (WA) accommodation compared with those living at home. A total of 20 WA and 20 home-living (HL) participants were assessed using hand-grip strength and the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA). Some 30% of the WA group were malnourished, compared with 10% of the HL group. This study demonstrates an alarmingly large proportion of individuals in WA accommodation to be either malnourished or at risk of malnutrition. This is a relatively small study, and further research into the key factors influencing malnutrition and interventions to minimise malnutrition with WA accommodation are clearly warranted.
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Riches et al. (2014) studied this question.