Ability to eat autonomously at mealtimes enhances social contact and interaction, supports adequate nutrition and intake, and promotes the enjoyment of food. Yet more than half of older adults with dementia living in long-term care lose the ability to get food into their mouths. Factors influencing eating performance include intrapersonal characteristics (eg cognitive impairment), interpersonal features (eg interactions with caregivers and other residents) and environmental aspects (eg physical elements such as noise or organisational elements such as staffing levels). Caregivers are in a strategic position to support eating ability with targeting each of these factors. The purpose of this study is to summarise mealtime interventions and to evaluate their effectiveness on the eating performance of older adults with dementia in long-term care.
Training programmes and mealtime assistance may improve eating performance for elderly long-term care residents with dementia. (Evidence Based Nursing, 2016, 19(1)) (Follow this link if you have an Athens password). Alternatively contact the UHSM Academy Library for a copy of the article or call 0161 291 5778)