Look at me! An exploratory study of supported eating interactions in long-term neurological care.

Introduction: Care homes are synonymous with aged care; however, many younger people also reside in care homes, often because they have complex needs caused by neurological conditions. Of this population, some people require support to eat. People in care homes consider mealtimes as central to their care experience but repeatedly report dissatisfaction with them. This paper examines what makes for positive or negative supported eating interactions (SEI) between care staff and people with neurological conditions aged 18-65.

Methods: The paper draws upon semi-structured interviews conducted with residents and healthcare staff exploring the role of food in the care of adults with neurological conditions in long-term care settings.

Results: Six core themes (1. Time and timing, 2. Individualized support and care(ing), 3. Choice and autonomy; 4. Core clinical knowledge and skills; 5. De-humanizing Practices; and 6. Environment) drawn through reflexive thematic analysis were identified.

Conclusions: There was significant parity between resident and staff considerations regarding the essence of what makes up a positive or negative SEI. Most core principles for delivering positive SEI's fall within the knowledge and skills of individual healthcare staff. However, the findings on time and environment require organizational support to enable staff to deliver the best SEI.