The aim of this systematic review was to identify the best ways of supporting people with dementia to eat. Five electronic databases were searched, with a date range from January 2004 to July 2015. Following screening of the 233 studies identified, 22 were included in the final analysis. The study interventions focused on educational programmes, environmental or routine changes, and assistance with eating, with the strongest evidence shown in the more complex educational programmes for people with dementia. The evidence suggests that staff who support people with dementia to eat should undertake face-to-face education programmes and aim to give people enough time when helping them to eat. However, cultural change may be needed to ensure individual assessments are carried out to identify those having difficulty eating, and to ensure they are afforded enough time to eat their meals.
Nursing Older People. 28, 6, 33-39. doi: 10.7748/nop.2016.e811
Correspondence Peer reviewThis article has been subject to double-blind review and has been checked using antiplagiarism software
Conflict of interestNone declared
Received: 22 February 2016
Accepted: 18 May 2016
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