Original Article
Mealtime assistance and caregivers' frequency of checking the residents in nursing homes: a questionnaire survey
2018 Volume 9 Pages 34-42
Details
2018 Volume 9 Pages 34-42
Kuramoto N, Suzuki K, Watanabe S, Hidaka K. Mealtime assistance and caregivers' frequency of checking the residents in nursing homes: a questionnaire survey. Jpn J Compr Rehabil Sci 2018; 9: 34-42.
Objective: Based on a questionnaire survey of caregivers in nursing homes, this study aimed to describe 1) the caregivers' basic characteristics, 2) the current mealtime assistance settings, and 3) the differences in the frequency of checking the residents during general care as well as before, during, and after mealtime assistance according to the caregivers' experience of attending lectures, their profession, and gender.
Methods: A questionnaire survey was distributed to 18 nursing homes in Ibaraki Prefecture in Japan and caregivers currently providing mealtime assistance answered the questions.
Results: Out of 695 distributed questionnaire surveys, 493 were answered (return rate: 70.9%). The majority of respondents were female (70.9%) and were care workers (78.7%). Most of them felt anxious about mealtime assistance. There were differences in the frequency of checking the residents according to the caregivers' experience of attending lectures, their profession (nurses or care workers), and gender.
Conclusions: To provide mealtime assistance in a safe and relaxed environment, the nursing home managers need to offer psychological support to the nursing home staff. In addition, it is important to provide lectures that take into account the caregivers' professions and genders.
