Using spaced retrieval and Montessori-based activities in improving eating ability for residents with dementia.
OBJECTIVE
To construct a training protocol for spaced retrieval (SR) and to investigate the effectiveness of SR and Montessori-based activities in decreasing eating difficulty in older residents with dementia.


METHODS
A single evaluator, blind, and randomized control trial was used. Eighty-five residents with dementia were chosen from three special care units for residents with dementia in long-term care facilities in Taiwan. To avoid any confounding of subjects, the three institutions were randomized into three groups: spaced retrieval, Montessori-based activities, and a control group. The invention consisted of three 30-40 min sessions per week, for 8 weeks.


RESULTS
After receiving the intervention, the Edinburgh Feeding Evaluation in Dementia (EdFED) scores and assisted feeding scores for the SR and Montessori-based activity groups were significantly lower than that of the control group. However, the frequencies of physical assistance and verbal assistance for the Montessori-based activity group after intervention were significantly higher than that of the control group, which suggests that residents who received Montessori-based activity need more physical and verbal assistance during mealtimes. In terms of the effects of nutritional status after intervention, Mini-Nutritional Assessment (MNA) in the SR group was significantly higher than that of the control group.


CONCLUSIONS
This study confirms the efficacy of SR and Montessori-based activities for eating difficulty and eating ability. A longitudinal study to follow the long-term effects of SR and Montessori-based activities on eating ability and nutritional status is recommended.
Lin
Li-Chan
LC
Institute of Clinical and Community Health Nursing, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC. lichan@ym.edu.tw
Huang
Ya-Ju
YJ
Su
Su-Gen
SG
Watson
Roger
R
Tsai
Belina W-J
BW
Wu
Shiao-Chi
SC
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003704:Dementia / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy*; D004435:Eating; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011939:Mental Recall; D009752:Nutritional Status; D011596:Psychomotor Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology*; D011613:Psychotherapy / Q000379:methods*; D012153:Retention, Psychology; D013624:Taiwan; D013997:Time Factors