Improving the provision of nutritional care for people living with dementia in care homes.

Abstract

Issues with eating and drinking are common in all stages of dementia but are most prevalent in the middle and late stages of the condition. This can lead to unintentional weight loss and malnutrition. Previous work by the authors has attempted to understand how to improve the nutritional care of people living with dementia, and has resulted in the development of a guide for care staff to improve their knowledge and skills regarding nutrition in people with dementia. The aim of this service evaluation was to investigate how use of the nutritional guide for care staff could improve the provision of nutritional care for people living with dementia in care homes. An online survey questionnaire was emailed to care homes who had received copies of the guide between November 2018 and August 2019. Completion of the survey was sought eight weeks after use of the guide. Forty-seven questionnaires were returned from staff working in care homes. Respondents reported that the guide had supported them to increase the appetite and fluid intake of people living with dementia. The guide prompted staff members to monitor for malnutrition using validated screening tools and provided strategies to encourage people living with dementia to eat more at mealtimes. These findings indicated that the guide has contributed to changes in the practice of care home staff when providing nutritional care for people with dementia.