Grant: Summer Program in Aging

Relationship-centred models of care are key to supporting families in establishing a sense of home in long-term care (LTC), which influences residents' quality of life and families' perceptions of the LTC sector. Institutionalism overtook LTC during the COVID-19 pandemic, negating these facilities as residents' homes and sparking calls to action to improve standards of care in LTC. Rooted in culture, identity, comfort, and traditions, mealtimes are closely tied to quality of life in LTC [1]. Relationship-centred mealtime interventions improve staff-resident relationships and reduce residents' risk of malnutrition [2], but less is known about family-resident relationships at mealtimes. This research seeks to understand what enhances and detracts from families' experiences of mealtimes with residents living with dementia in LTC to inform the necessary conditions to support meaningful family engagement at mealtimes into later stages of dementia. Family interviews on their experiences and perspectives and on-site observation of the social and physical mealtime environment will be used to produce a theory of the meaning of mealtimes for families of residents living with dementia in LTC. This theory will inform family-centred mealtime interventions, resources for families navigating evolving dementia care needs, and necessary institutional-level supports that promote family-centred mealtimes in LTC. References 1.Chaudhury, H., Hung, L., & Badger, M. (2013). The role of physical environment in supporting person-centered dining in long-term care: A review of the literature. American Journal of Alzheimer's Disease and other Dementias 28(5), 491-500). https://doi.org/10.1177/1533317513488923 2.Wu, S., Morrison, J. M., Dunn-Ridgeway, H., Vucea, V., Iuglio, S., & Keller, H. (2018). Mixed methods developmental evaluation of the CHOICE program: A relationship-centred mealtime intervention for long-term care. BMC Geriatrics, 18(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-018-0964-3