Family Members' Preferences for Nutrition Interventions to Improve Nursing Home Residents' Oral Food and Fluid Intake

OBJECTIVES: To measure family members' preferences for nutrition interventions to improve the oral food and fluid intake of their relatives in a nursing home. DESIGN: Cross‐sectional descriptive. SETTING: Three skilled nursing facilities in Southern California. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred five residents from the three skilled nursing facilities and their respective family members. MEASUREMENTS: A mailed questionnaire to family members that consisted of 15 forced‐choice comparisons between six nutrition interventions. An assessment of oral food and fluid intake during mealtime for 3 days (nine meals) for each participant using direct observations and estimations of percentage consumed (0% to 100%) by trained research staff. RESULTS: In order of most to least desirable, the family members preferred the following interventions to improve their relative's oral food and fluid intake: (1) improve quality of food; (2) improve quality and quantity of feeding assistance; (3) provide multiple small meals and snacks throughout the day; (4) place resident in preferred dining location; (5) provide an oral liquid nutritional supplement between meals; and (6) provide a medication to stimulate appetite. The average ± standard deviation total percentage intake for residents whose family members reported that they thought their relative had a problem with their intake was 50%± 16%. CONCLUSIONS: Family members prefer that other nutrition interventions be attempted before the use of oral supplements or pharmacological approaches. Family members perceive a need for interventions when residents consume, on average, only half of the food and fluid items provided during mealtime.