scholarly journals Effects of a Multifaceted Intervention Program on the Eating Ability of Nursing Home Residents

Author(s):  
Mei-Ling Chen ◽  
Chia-Hui Chiu ◽  
Yueh-Juen Hwu ◽  
Shu-Chen Kuo

Oropharyngeal dysphagia is a common problem for nursing home residents that leads to aspiration pneumonia and malnutrition. Musculature surrounding head and neck and tongue strength are crucial for safe and efficient oropharyngeal swallowing. Oral hygiene facilitates the smooth swallowing. The aim of this study was thus to investigate the effects of a multifaceted intervention program which combines the interactive oral activities, tongue strength training and oral cleaning procedure on the eating ability of nursing home residents. A sequential, multiple time series, single-group quasi-experimental research design was used, and 41 residents were recruited to participate in this study. The study was divided into three phases, each lasting two months. In phase 1, the participants were conducting their usual activities, except that the outcome variables were measured on five occasions to obtain baseline data. Phase 2 was a two-month washout period, and phase 3 was the intervention period. Thirty-six residents completed phase 1, and 34 residents completed the phase 3 intervention period. The eight-week phase 3 intervention program comprised three sessions per day, conducted seven days a week, with each session lasting 15–20 min. Outcome variables were measured at weeks 0, 2, 4, 6, and 8 in phases 1 and 3 to evaluate the feasibility of the program. Following the intervention program, controlling for baseline differences, the patients’ tongue strength, food consumption, mealtime duration, oral health, and dysphagia severity were significantly improved in phase 3 relative to phase 1. These improvements lasted through to at least 2 months posttest. The study illustrates that this multifaceted intervention program may be an effective approach for improving the eating ability of nursing home residents.

Geriatrics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 55
Author(s):  
Dorte Melgaard ◽  
Albert Westergren ◽  
Conni Skrubbeltrang ◽  
David Smithard

Oropharyngeal dysphagia is common in nursing home residents. The objective of this scoping review was to summarize and disseminate the findings from the literature on interventions for dysphagia in nursing home residents. Searches were conducted in four databases. The criteria for including the studies were nursing home residents, dysphagia, interventions, original research, published in English, Danish, Norwegian, or Swedish with no restriction placed regarding publication date. Excluded were literature reviews, editorial comments, conference abstracts, protocols, papers not available in full text, and studies with a mixed population, for example, geriatric patients and nursing home residents and where the results were not separated between the groups. A total of 14 papers were included and analyzed. The included papers represented interventions focusing on feeding intervention, oral hygiene, caregiver algorithm, stimulation (taste and smell), teaching the residents what to eat, mobilization of the spine, exercises/training, and positioning. This scoping review identifies sparse knowledge about interventions affecting nursing home residents’ dysphagia. But the results indicate that multi-component interventions, including staff training, training of residents, and/or next of kin, might be successful. This scoping review clarifies that there is a need for well-designed studies that uncover which specific interventions have an effect in relation to nursing home residents with dysphagia and can serve as a guide for designing multi-component person-centered intervention studies. Future studies should implement high evidence study designs, define the measures of dysphagia, and quantify the severity of dysphagia, its underlying diseases, and comorbidities.


Author(s):  
M. H. Verwijs ◽  
O. van de Rest ◽  
G.-J. van der Putten ◽  
L. C. P. G. M. de Groot ◽  
Sanne Boesveldt

Abstract Objectives Dementia can lead to decreased appetite and nutritional intake. Food odor exposure has been shown to increase appetite and nutritional intake in young healthy adults. This study investigates the effect of food odor exposure on appetite, nutritional intake and body weight of Dutch nursing home residents with dementia. Design This was a one-armed, non-randomized, non-blinded intervention study consisting of a four-week control period followed by a twelve-week intervention period. Setting Four nursing homes in the Netherlands. Participants Forty-five nursing home residents with dementia. Intervention During the intervention period, odors were dispersed prior to the main meals. Measurements General and specific appetite for sweet and savory foods was measured weekly. Nutritional intake was measured once during the control period and three times during the intervention period through a 3-day food record. Body weight was assessed at the start and end of the control period and at the start, end and halfway the intervention period. Data were analyzed with linear mixed models. Results Small changes in general and specific appetite were observed after odor exposure. Overall energy intake did not change during the first four intervention weeks, but increased during the second and third (+118kcal/d, p=0.003 and +122kcal/d, p=0.004). Protein intake and body weight did not significantly change during the study. Conclusion In this study, no clinically relevant changes in appetite, nutritional intake and body weight were observed after food odor exposure. Future studies should assess the effect of natural food odors and/or meal-tailored odors on nutritional intake of older adults with dementia.


2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (6) ◽  
pp. 576-581 ◽  
Author(s):  
María D. Ballesteros-Pomar ◽  
A. Cherubini ◽  
H. Keller ◽  
P. Lam ◽  
Y. Rolland ◽  
...  

2003 ◽  
Vol 51 (3) ◽  
pp. 306-313 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clemens Becker ◽  
Martina Kron ◽  
Ulrich Lindemann ◽  
Elisabeth Sturm ◽  
Barbara Eichner ◽  
...  

2009 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 117-127 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Fritsch ◽  
J. Kwak ◽  
S. Grant ◽  
J. Lang ◽  
R. R. Montgomery ◽  
...  

2018 ◽  
Vol 22 (10) ◽  
pp. 1246-1252 ◽  
Author(s):  
Viviënne A. L. Huppertz ◽  
R. J. G. Halfens ◽  
A. van Helvoort ◽  
L. C. P. G. M. de Groot ◽  
L. W. J. Baijens ◽  
...  

1980 ◽  
Vol 45 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ronald L. Schow ◽  
Michael A. Nerbonne

In the February 1980 issue of this journal, the report by Ronald L. Schow and Michael A. Nerbonne ("Hearing Levels Among Elderly Nursing Home Residents") contains an error. On page 128, the labels "Male" and "Female" in Table 2 should be reversed.


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