title: Feeding tubes for older people with advanced dementia living in the community in Israel.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Feeding tubes to address eating problems of older people with advanced dementia (OPAD) has been studied primarily in nursing homes.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To examine the prevalence of feeding tube use among OPAD living in the community; to evaluate the characteristics, quality of care, and the burden on caregivers.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional survey of 117 caregivers of OPAD living in the community.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 117 patients, 26% had feeding tubes. Compared to nonusers, feeding tube users had more use of restraints, greater problems with swallowing, more emergency room visits, and were more likely to have a legal guardian. In addition, caregivers of feeding tube users were older and reported very heavy burden of care. Half of the caregivers reported that the medical team consulted them before insertion of the feeding tube.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Feeding tube use in OPAD in the community is associated with negative outcomes and increased caregiver burden.
authors: Aging Department, Myers-JDC-Brookdale Institute, Jerusalem, Israel bentur@jdc.org.il.
authors: Netta
authors: N
authors: Bentur
authors: Division of Public Health, Maccabi Healthcare Services, Jerusalem, Israel Aging Department, Shaarei Zedek Medical Center Memory Clinic, Jerusalem, Israel.
authors: Shelley
authors: S
authors: Sternberg
authors: Aging Department, Myers-JDC-Brookdale Institute, Jerusalem, Israel.
authors: Jennifer
authors: J
authors: Shuldiner
authors: Faculty of Health Sciences, Mental Health Center, and Center for Multidisciplinary Research in Aging, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beersheva, Israel Aging Department, Rambam Health Care Campus, Haifa, Israel.
authors: Tzvi
authors: T
authors: Dwolatzky
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D017281:Cost of Illness; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003704:Dementia / Q000451:nursing*; D004750:Enteral Nutrition / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D057187:Independent Living / Q000592:standards*; D007557:Israel; D008297:Male
keywords: community; dementia; end of life; quality of care; tube feeding