An Altered Eating Experience: Attitudes Toward Feeding Assistance Among Younger and Older Adults.
Samantha E Shune
PMID 29668532WHAT IT FOUND
Healthy adults simulated being fed.
Younger adults reacted negatively, focusing on lost independence and autonomy. Older adults reacted neutrally, viewing dependence as an inevitable part of aging. Individualizing care to preserve patient control may ease this transition.
Key findings
01Younger adults were more likely to make negative comments about assisted feeding, often citing a loss of independence and autonomy.
02Older adults were more likely to make neutral comments, frequently acknowledging that feeding assistance would eventually become necessary.
03Comments from both groups focused primarily on the physical difficulties of being fed, such as loss of coordination and naturalness.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
Participants were healthy adults simulating dependence, not patients who actually require feeding assistance for medical reasons. The setting was a research laboratory, not a natural mealtime environment. The person providing assistance was a research assistant, not a trained clinician. The study did not include patients with cognitive or language impairments who cannot express their preferences.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume these findings apply to patients with actual feeding dependencies. The participants were healthy adults simulating the experience, which may not capture the complex emotional and physical realities of chronic illness or disability.