Time Travel The Lived Experience of Providing Feeding Assistance to a Family Member with Dementia

A major concern facing family members of people with advanced dementia is deciding how to provide food and water. Nurses play a significant role in supporting mealtimes, yet little is known about the meaning of mealtime for family caregivers of people with dementia. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the experience of providing feeding assistance to a family member with dementia from the perspective of community and nursing home family caregivers. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with 16 family caregivers of individuals with advanced dementia. Analysis revealed that the experience was likened to living in a time warp whereby family caregivers were propelled from pleasant memories of the past, to the stark reality of the present, to a foreboding and uncertain future. Findings can guide nurses to dialogue with family members and to ensure that the full spectrum of mealtime is preserved.