Factors influencing the pace of food intake for nursing home residents with dementia: Resident characteristics, staff mealtime assistance and environmental stimulation

Abstract

Aim To examine the association of resident characteristics, staff mealtime assistance and environmental stimulation with the pace of food intake. Design A secondary analysis of 36 baseline eating videos involving 19 nursing assistants and 15 residents with dementia in eight nursing homes from a communication intervention study. Methods The outcome variable was the pace of food intake (the number of bites and drinks per minute). The exploratory variables were resident characteristics (age, gender, dementia stage and eating performance), staff mealtime assistance (frequency of verbal, visual, partial and full physical assistance) and environmental stimulation. Multi‐level models were used to examine the association. Results A faster pace of food intake is associated with being male, better eating performance, staff provision of visual and physical assistance and better quality of environmental stimulation that involved interaction. The pace of food intake was not associated with resident age, staff verbal assistance or partial physical assistance.

Family member eating assistance and food intake in long‐term care: A secondary data analysis of the M3 Study

“…Similar findings were reported in Puurveen et al’s (2018) critical interpretive synthesis: family involvement is fluid over time and most often intensifies in response to a resident’s deteriorating health. The importance of additional and dedicated mealtime support for those who struggle at mealtimes – which is not always possible for busy care staff – has been shown to be extremely relevant to food intake (Liu et al, 2019; Remsburg, 2004; Steele et al, 2007). For those with dysphagia, careful hand feeding is often needed, which can take additional time.…”

“…A recent Canadian study showed that the more person‐centred mealtime care is, the more energy residents consume (Keller, Carrier, Slaughter, Lengyel, Steele, Duizer, Morrison, et al, 2017). Others have reported the importance of pairing social interaction with eating assistance for residents living with dementia to improve nutritional intake, weight, eating independence, and quality of life (Abdelhamid et al, 2016; Liu, Galik, Boltz, Nahm & Resnick, 2015; Liu, Jao & Williams, 2019). Most research has focused on resident and care staff interactions; one study explored the effect of family member support on quality of mealtime assistance and food intake (Durkin et al, 2014).…”

Management of Dysphagia in Nursing Homes During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Strategies and Experiences

“…Other homes segregated residents into small groups and only allowed one small group to dine at a time. The lack of olfactory and visual stimulation associated with mealtimes in dining halls may have affected some of the feeding behaviours and patterns of residents, especially those with dementia [30]. Clinicians monitored these behaviours and intake amounts more closely once these changes had been implemented and made any necessary suitable arrangements to overcome the sensory deprivation and social isolation.…”

Ease of use, feasibility and inter‐rater reliability of the refined Cue Utilization and Engagement in Dementia (CUED) mealtime video‐coding scheme

“…Nursing home (NH) residents with dementia commonly experience functional, cognitive and behavioural symptoms that inference with mealtime activities, leading to functional and nutritional consequences that decrease quality of life and increase morbidity and mortality (Bell, Lee, & Tamura, 2015; Chang & Roberts, 2011; Hanson, Ersek, Lin, & Carey, 2013). Among the personal and environmental factors that influence resident eating performance and intake (Liu et al., 2016; Liu, Jao, Jao, & Williams, 2019; Liu, Tripp‐Reimer, Williams, & Shaw, 2018), quality of mealtime engagement and interactions between NH direct care staff (staff) and residents with dementia (residents) are important intervenable factors (Liu, Jao, & Williams, 2017; Liu, Williams, Williams, Batchelor‐Murphy, Perkhounkova, & Hein, 2019).…”