Recent Research on Careful Hand Feeding in the Hong Kong West Cluster

Abstract

Feeding problems are pervasive among older adults with late stage dementia. Professional societies in different countries have advocated for careful hand feeding as an alternative to tube feeding to promote patient comfort. To provide better quality of end-of-life care, careful hand feeding practices have been implemented in two geriatric convalescent hospitals in the Hong Kong West Cluster. This talk will share some research findings on recent trends in the use of careful hand feeding among patients with advanced dementia with severe feeding problems. Risk factors for nasogastric tube insertions as well as how careful hand feeding compares with nasogastric tube feeding on the incidence of aspiration pneumonia among advanced dementia patients will be discussed.