OBJECTIVE: To evaluate institutional feeding, meal production facilities and the inclusion of healthcare professionals in elderly homes of Distrito Federal. METHODS: This is a descriptive and cross-sectional study that was carried out in five elderly homes. Two hundred forty-four seniors were included, corresponding to 25% of the institutionalized seniors in Distrito Federal in 2002. The meal production facility was evaluated based on its hygienic and environmental-structural conditions. The inclusion of healthcare professionals among the staff of the elderly homes, the number of meals offered daily, the meal consistency options and the presence of a printed weekly menu were investigated. A qualitative evaluation of the nutritional adequacy of the institutional feeding was done based on the Food Guide Pyramid recommendations. RESULTS: Precarious hygienic and environmental-structural conditions were identified. Healthcare professionals were scarce in all homes. Most homes offered five daily meals with two consistency options: normal and semi-liquid. Only two homes had a printed weekly menu. The nutritional evaluation of meals showed that the most inadequate percentages of food groups offered were vegetables, with a median offer of only 53% of the recommendation, followed by fruits, with 60% of the recommendation. The offered percentage of the oil and fat group was considered excessive (120% of the recommendation). CONCLUSION: Abundant inadequate factors in meal production facilities, the poor inclusion of healthcare professionals and the imbalance in the food groups offered point to a worrying situation for the quality of life of institutionalized seniors in Distrito Federal.
institutional feeding; homes for the aged; nutrition assessment; aged
