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American Journal of Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias logoLink to American Journal of Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias
. 2008 Feb-Mar;23(1):13–22. doi: 10.1177/1533317507312805

Nutrition Education Needs and Resources for Dementia Care in the Community

Heather H Keller 1, Dana Smith 2, Cara Kasdorf 3, Sherry Dupuis 4, Lori Schindel Martin 5, Gayle Edward 6, Carly Cook 7, Rebecca Genoe 8
PMCID: PMC10846247  PMID: 18276954

Abstract

Nutrition problems and specificly weight loss are common in older adults with dementia living in the community. Study 1 involved interviews with 14 formal providers to identify the range of nutrition concerns they had experienced. In study 2, 74 Canadian Alzheimer Society chapters were surveyed by e-mail (23% participation rate) to determine nutrition concerns and education resources provided to clients. In all, 26 of these nutrition pamphlets or handouts were rated on content and format by 2 independent researchers using a standardized rating system. Common nutrition concerns identified in older adults with dementia living in the community include safety, weight loss, forgetting or refusing to eat, appetite, dysphagia, and unfavorable eating behaviors. Most resources provided to clients were considered low quality and did not match the nutrition concerns expressed by formal providers. Currently, there is a considerable knowledge translation gap around nutrition and dementia, and this study provides a basis for the future development of nutrition education resources.

Keywords: nutrition, education, community, dementia, caregivers

Full Text

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Contributor Information

Heather H. Keller, Department of Family Relations and Applied Nutrition, University of Guelph, hkeller@uoguelph.ca .

Dana Smith, Department of Family Relations and Applied Nutrition, University of Guelph.

Cara Kasdorf, Department of Family Relations and Applied Nutrition, St Joseph's Health Centre, Guelph.

Sherry Dupuis, Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies, University of Waterloo.

Lori Schindel Martin, School of Nursing, Ryerson University, Toronto Ontario, Canada.

Gayle Edward, Department of Family Relations and Applied Nutrition, University of Guelph.

Carly Cook, Department of Family Relations and Applied Nutrition, University of Guelph.

Rebecca Genoe, Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies, University of Waterloo.

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