Conference Proceedings | J Oral Health Dent. 2018;1(S2):A018 | Open Access
Improving Mealtime Experiences for Frail Nursing Home Residents with Duchesse, a Tasty Alternative to Regular Pureed Diets: A Pilot Study
Lemmens J1,2, Joussen AS1,2, Kreutz R1,2 and Ubben S1,2
1Zuyd University of Applied Sciences, Heerlen, the Netherlands
2Envida, Maastricht, the Netherlands
Abstract
Purpose: Texture-modified diets often have a negative impact on mealtime experiences. People on a dysphagia pureed diet and their caregivers complain about visual presentation, flavor and grainy meat substances. Duchesse was developed as a substitute for regular pureed diets and currently exists of 9 smooth and homogenous meals, including pasta, rice and fish. The purpose of this study was to test Duchesse in a frail and challenged nursing home population. Pureed diets are frequently advised for dysphagic residents with cognitive and communicative restrictions due to dementia and/or stroke.
Method: Two explorative studies were conducted: 1) 10 nursing home residents with dysphagia and limited abilities tried Duchesse for 1 week. Experiences of the residents and staff were observed through qualitative reports, questionnaires and tasting sessions, and 2) another study followed 24 more dysphagic patients. There were 5 observations of the regular pureed diet and 15 observations of Duchesse. Since the majority of the residents were not able to give (adequate) feedback, the mealtime-duration, food-intake and waste was registered together with proxy reports and information from medical records.
Results: There were no major changes in duration and intake, but there was significantly less waste (7% vs. 20%; p<0.05). The 5 verbally fluent residents and the proxies all expressed a strong preference for Duchesse, since it was tastier and easier to process.
Conclusion: Preliminary data suggest that Duchesse is a tasty alternative to regular pureed diets and has no negative effects. Future studies will investigate the long-term impact on nutritional status and well-being in different populations.