Factors associated with Feeding Difficulty in Long-term Care Facility Older Adults with Dementia

The purpose of this study was to identify feeding difficulties and related factors in older adults with dementia who reside in long-term care facilities. Methods: Participants were 149 older adults with dementia residing in long-term care facilities and 93 certified caregivers working in five long-term care facilities. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, Scheffe test, Pearson correlation coefficient and multiple regression by SPSS 21.0. Results: The mean score for feeding difficulty was 7.264.30. The highest for a feeding difficulty item was, "Does the patient require/close supervision while feeding?". The variables related to the feeding difficulty were physical function (=0.37, p<.001) and certified caregivers' attitude towards feeding older adults with dementia (=0.31, p<.001). These two variables explained about 44.0% of total variance (F=24.26, p<.001).