Ethnomethodologic Analysis of Accounts of Feeding Demented Residents in Long‐Term Care

Abstract

Unsuccessful feeding interactions have implications for the quality of life for the demented. When inadequate intake leads to significant weight loss, medical and nursing interventions should be implemented.

Mealtimes in Nursing Homes: Striving for Person-Centered Care

“…It is hypothesized that there should be four different groupings: (1) residents who are aware of their social environment and usual social boundaries, (2) residents with less awareness of social boundaries, (3) residents with greater tendencies for disruptive behavior, and (4) residents who respond to stimuli but have no awareness of their social environment. While it is common practice for residents to have regular tablemates, the staff who assist them may not be as consistent (25). Having the same person assisting a resident to eat on a regular basis may promote better relationship building at meals, although in one study staff expressed that they disliked feeding the same resident all the time and felt it was unfair to do so as some residents were more difficult to feed than others (18).…”

“…Schell and Kayser-Jones (24) found that some staff who provided feeding assistance failed to help orient residents to the meal and did not support their autonomy by offering choices. Instead of giving the resident a choice of what to eat at the meal, nursing assistants may give food based on their perception of the nutritional quality of foods, offering the most nutritious first (25,31). It was observed that for some nursing assistants, this meant the main source of protein, while for others it was the soup or oral liquid nutrition supplement.…”

“…It is not easy work to see things from another's point of view. Nursing assistants tend to assess and react to what they observe in the dining room according to their experience and common sense, but this requires constant attention (25). Without this vigilance, feeding could become task-focused, rushed, or stopped too soon.…”

The nature of feeding completely dependent persons: A meta-ethnography

“…We returned to the primary research reports to test the hypotheses that we generated. For example, we hypothesized that the nature of the setting Interviews Pierson (1999) Description of the self-organizing activities and the unspoken knowledge that nursing assistants use in performing the work of feeding as a routine part of their activities…”

The meaning of assisted feeding for people living with spinal cord injury: a phenomenological study

“…In our study, participants feared being mistaken for ill or weak people when their meals were exposed to the gaze of others. This latent feeling of abnormality must be taken into consideration when people with eating problems are gathered in institutional dining rooms (Pierson 1999). Eating with others should occur voluntarily and not just for the convenience of staff.…”