A Qualitative Study on Shared Mealtime with Care Staff and Users during Meal Care in Nursing Homes for the Aged

Abstract

  It has been reported that the establishment of a mutual aid relationship between the caregiver and care recipient is vital for improving the quality of nursing care and reducing nursing-care stress. “Shared mealtime” is gaining attention as a means of achieving smooth communication necessary for building a mutual aid relationship. In this study, an interview survey was conducted with staff members at a facility for the elderly who had “shared mealtime” with care recipients, and the effectiveness of mealtime sharing was qualitatively investigated. The six staff members had 5 to 20 years of experience and received semi-structured interviews. The survey consisted of four question items: (1) The situation when having shared mealtime with care recipients, (2) The difference between having shared mealtime with care recipients and eating separately, (3) The difficulties in having shared mealtime with care recipients, and (4) The benefits of shared mealtime with care recipients. As a result of the analysis based on the KJ method, 10 categories and 40 subcategories were obtained. The results of this research indicated that “shared mealtime” may promote good mutual relationship between staff and residents, as it generates a sense of security, facilitates mutual understanding and encourages eating.