Grant: Travel Awards - Institute Community Support

The act of providing feeding assistance can range from opening food or beverage packages to total assistance where the resident cannot feed themselves. Research suggests that individuals receiving feeding assistance may have a higher risk of nutritional deficiencies, making the topic of feeding assistance an important research area. The M3 study looked at key modifiable factors that influence the food and fluid intake of long-term care residents across four Canadian provinces. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between food and fluid intake of individuals receiving total feeding assistance and mealtime factors using data from the M3 study. Mealtime factors that will be evaluated include but are not limited to safe feeding and person-centered practices, such as correct positioning of the resident, using an appropriate pace for feeding and telling the individual what they are eating. This research may help to identify factors involved in feeding assistance that are positive or negative to the food and fluid intake of long-term care residents. By identifying these factors better methods of providing feeding assistance within long-term care facilities may be developed. The goal of this research is to help improve food and fluid intake of long-term care residents receiving feeding assistance, so that nutritional requirements are met, lowering the risk of nutritional deficiencies.