| Sign In to gain access to subscriptions and/or personal tools. |
Staffing and the mealtime experience of nursing home residents on a Special Care UnitUniversity of California, San Francisco; Department of Physiological Nursing & Medical Anthropology Program, San Francisco, California.
Department of Physiological Nursing, University of California, San Francisco, California. As part of a study that examined the social, cultural, clinical, and environmental factors that influence eating behavior in nursing homes, the effect of staffing on the mealtime experience of residents in a Special Care Unit (SCU) for dementia patients was investigated. An adequate staff to resident ratio, the presence of a knowledgeable and skillful nursing assistant who was an excellent role model, and sufficient supervision positively affected the experience of residents, making lunchtime a pleasant and nourishing event. In the evening, however; overtaxed and poorly supervised aides resorted to strategies that made dinnertime a hurried, unpleasant experience and put residents under duress. A discussion of how to provide extra help at mealtime, improve the education and training of staff, and enhance supervision at mealtime is presented.
American Journal of Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias®, Vol. 12, No. 2,
67-72 (1997) |
|||