Restorative and Supportive Meals at HomeCare

The pilot intervention study is designed to evaluate the feasibility of implementing a tailored medical nutrition therapy (MNT) meal-delivery for 25 elderly, low-income food insecure patients with end-stage kidney disease undergoing maintenance hemodialysis at dialysis centers. Following comprehensive baseline assessments, participants will first maintain their usual dietary patterns for a 4-week control period to establish baseline nutritional and clinical parameters. This will be followed by a 4-week intervention period during which participants will receive individually tailored MNT meals designed to meet their renal-specific nutritional requirements, including energy, protein, potassium, phosphate and sodium intake. Weekly monitoring during dialysis sessions will include assessment of adherence, dietary intake, and clinical tolerance, providing detailed insights into the feasibility, safety, and potential clinical impact of the tailored nutrition intervention in this vulnerable population.

Background Malaysia is expecting population ageing with a projection of 15% of Malaysia's population will be over 65 years by 2030. Older adults often face challenges related to food insecurity and chronic disease management, which affect their overall well-being. In 2018, 10.4% of older adults were classified as food insecure, and this number is projected to escalate with the growing older adult population. On the other hand, those suffering from chronic kidney disease (CKD) face one of the most difficult diets among clinical patients. With economic constraints, the elderly's abilities to acquire the right food could be limited, predisposing them to increased morbidity and mortality. While much work is needed to ascertain the complex interplay between food insecurity, chronic disease management, and well-being in this population, a tailored intervention programme could help improve food security and health status, yet it is not well researched. Problem Statement Food insecure elderly patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) on haemodialysis (HD) in Malaysia have low adherence on renal diet and are at the highest risk of malnutrition and food-borne illness predisposing them to increased morbidity and mortality. Justification of Study At present, there is limited evidence on availability of a tailored medical nutrition therapy (MNT) meal delivery specific for HD patients in Malaysia. While much work is needed to ascertain the complex interplay between food insecurity, chronic disease management, and well-being, a tailored intervention programme could help improve the food security and health status of elderly population in Malaysia. Research Question(s) Can tailored MNT meal delivery improve food safety, food insecurity and nutritional status of food insecure malnourished elderly patients with ESRD on HD? Research objectives General Objective: To determine the feasibility of tailored medical nutrition therapy meal delivery intervention programme for elderly patients undergoing haemodialysis Specific Objectives: To examine the effectiveness of tailored MNT meal delivery on food safety, food insecurity and nutritional status of food insecure elderly patients with end stage kidney disease on haemodialysis Research methodology To accomplish the objective, a single arm crossover study is proposed to be conducted over a one-year period divided into two phases: Phase One (menu planning) and Phase Two (intervention) among food insecure malnourished elderly patients on haemodialysis. Data will be collected at 3-time points on food insecurity, nutritional status and meal satisfaction. Expected outcomes 1. Potentially improve nutritional intake among food insecure elderly patients on haemodialysis by using self-grown vegetables that follows good practices in Malaysian Good Agricultural Practices with good handling of post-harvest management; 2. Extend the understanding of interplay between food insecurity, chronic disease management, and well-being of older adults, and; 3. Establish link between community, university and industry on affordable, tailored therapeutic meals for vulnerable populations.