Dementia Care Research and Psychosocial Factors

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Nursing Science
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Person-centered mealtime care (PCMC) prioritizes individual needs and preferences during eating assistance.
• Task-centered mealtime care (TCMC) focuses on task completion, potentially neglecting individual requirements.
• Effective measurement tools are needed to differentiate and promote PCMC over TCMC for individuals with dementia.

Purpose of the Study:

• To adapt the Cue Utilization and Engagement in Dementia (CUED) video-coding scheme into practical observational scales.
• To develop and examine the structural validity of scales measuring PCMC and TCMC.
• To provide tools for assessing and improving mealtime care quality in dementia.

Main Methods:

• 424 videos of dyadic mealtime interactions were coded using the CUED scheme.
• Behaviors were categorized by frequency, and CUED items were refined into 16 PCMC and 5 TCMC items.
• Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses (EFA/CFA) were used for PCMC scale development, and Cronbach's alpha for TCMC scale reliability.

Main Results:

• An 8-item, 1-factor PCMC scale with good internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha=.75) was identified.
• A 3-item TCMC scale was developed, showing lower internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha=.32).
• The study involved 66 staff members across 10 nursing homes.

Conclusions:

• Developed an 8-item PCMC scale and a 3-item TCMC scale for observational use.
• These scales offer potential for assessing mealtime care quality in nursing homes.
• Further validation studies are recommended to establish clinical utility.