Description of the mealtime of older adults with dementia in a long-term care facility: A video analysis

This study analyzed the mealtime structure of older adults with dementia in long-term care facilities. The study conducted video observations at 2 long-term care facilities with 10 residents and 24 staff members, resulting in 41 dyads. The average mealtime duration was 12.21 +/- 5.16 minutes; the average time of a single intake was 0.21 +/- 0.21 minutes; and the median of the eating interval was 0.17 minutes. The average verbal assistance time was 1.41 +/- 1.31 minutes; the average verbal assistance frequency was short (23.92 +/- 15.50 times). During mealtime, residents had an average of 5.00 +/- 4.07 instances of failing to eat properly. The video analysis emphasized the necessity of implementing a mealtime assistance program that incorporates patient-centered education for the staff and ensures sufficient staffing to provide high-quality meals for residents in long-term care facilities.(c) 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

Automated summary

This study analyzed mealtime structure in long-term care facilities for older adults with dementia. Video observations were conducted at two facilities, involving 10 residents and 24 staff members. The findings showed that the average mealtime duration was 12.21 minutes, with an average time of 0.21 minutes for a single intake and a median eating interval of 0.17 minutes. It was also observed that residents failed to eat properly an average of 5 times during mealtime. The study emphasized the importance of implementing a patient-centered mealtime assistance program.