Nutritional Status and Eating Behaviors in People with Dementia in Nursing Home: An Observational Study
Tracks
Federation Ballroom
Dementia
Diet / Nutrition
Residential
| Friday, November 15, 2024 |
| 8:45 AM - 9:00 AM |
Speaker
Assoc Prof Rita Chang
Associate Professor
University Of Western Sydney
Nutritional Status and Eating Behaviors in People with Dementia in Nursing Home: An Observational Study
Abstract
Background: Cognitive impairment in dementia residents often leads to altered eating patterns, increasing malnutrition risk. This condition is linked to longer hospitalisations and higher mortality, highlighting the need to focus on nutritional care.
Aims: This study aims to conduct a thorough assessment of the nutritional status and eating behaviors of dementia residents in nursing homes, recognising the heightened risk of malnutrition.
Methods: This observational study collected data on mealtime challenges and the nutritional status of 51 residents in nursing home. Data collection tools included the Feeding Difficulty Index, Eating Encouragement for Residents with Dementia, nurses' feeding skills assessment, Optimizing Care in the Dining Room Audit Tool, and Mini Nutritional Assessment Short-Form.
Results: 51 residents were recruited with median age of 85.2 years, a Feeding Difficulty Index averaging 9.4, nursing home residency duration of 4.5 years, average feeding time of 27.8 minutes. Alarmingly, only 2.5% had normal nutritional status, while 78.5% were malnourished. All participants required some level of mealtime assistance. Residents with higher Feeding Difficulty Index scores tended to have longer total feeding times. Surprisingly, a limited percentage of nurses employed specialised feeding skills: 12% used multisensory cueing, 15% practiced task simplification and sequencing, and less than 10% employed techniques such as mirroring and the hand-over-hand approach.
Conclusion: Specialised training for nurses is crucial to reduce malnutrition risk in dementia residents of nursing homes. Such training should improve feeding techniques, tackle eating behavior problems, and address mealtime obstacles, thereby enhancing the nutritional health and quality of life for older people.
Aims: This study aims to conduct a thorough assessment of the nutritional status and eating behaviors of dementia residents in nursing homes, recognising the heightened risk of malnutrition.
Methods: This observational study collected data on mealtime challenges and the nutritional status of 51 residents in nursing home. Data collection tools included the Feeding Difficulty Index, Eating Encouragement for Residents with Dementia, nurses' feeding skills assessment, Optimizing Care in the Dining Room Audit Tool, and Mini Nutritional Assessment Short-Form.
Results: 51 residents were recruited with median age of 85.2 years, a Feeding Difficulty Index averaging 9.4, nursing home residency duration of 4.5 years, average feeding time of 27.8 minutes. Alarmingly, only 2.5% had normal nutritional status, while 78.5% were malnourished. All participants required some level of mealtime assistance. Residents with higher Feeding Difficulty Index scores tended to have longer total feeding times. Surprisingly, a limited percentage of nurses employed specialised feeding skills: 12% used multisensory cueing, 15% practiced task simplification and sequencing, and less than 10% employed techniques such as mirroring and the hand-over-hand approach.
Conclusion: Specialised training for nurses is crucial to reduce malnutrition risk in dementia residents of nursing homes. Such training should improve feeding techniques, tackle eating behavior problems, and address mealtime obstacles, thereby enhancing the nutritional health and quality of life for older people.
Biography
Hui-Chen (Rita) Chang, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor of aged and dementia care in the School of Nursing and Midwifery at Western Sydney University. She completed her PhD entitled “Evidence-based Practice in Residential Aged Care Facilities” at the University of Sydney in 2009. Dr Chang's career in age care and dementia research experience and clinical practice has spanned over 25 years. Dr Chang has immense experience in teaching and research, having held various key leadership roles within schools of nursing. Dr Chang has developed and sustained national and international multi-institutional partnerships, engaging in inter-disciplinary research and supervision of higher research degree students. She is currently supervising 7 PhD students and 2 overseas research fellows, with 2 completions. Dr Chang has been awarded funding from industry partnerships and Government tenders for learning, teaching and clinical research. Dr Chang also services as a Grants Committee of the Australian Association of Gerontology (AAG) Research Trust since 2021. Her most recent research focused on knowledge translation of healthcare practitioners working with older people and their families. She has research skills in undertaking qualitative and quantitative research and contributed to all these aspects of the project. Dr Chang was a lead investigator on many research projects including feeding difficulty projects, dementia and driving and a lead on a delirium care project in Taiwan with the Taipei Medical University research team. Many of her research results were published in high quality peer review Journals and contributes as an author to book chapters and conference papers.
Session Chair
Marguerite Bramble
Adjunct Assoc Professor
Charles Sturt University
