Effectiveness of Using Brightly Colored Dinnerware to Increase Food Intake and Meal Completion Rates in Geriatric Patients
Introduction
The Acute Care for the Elderly (ACE) Unit at Presence Saint Joseph Medical Center (PSJMC) identified a growing cause for concern related to malnutrition and decided to investigate further options to enhance appetite and promote proper nutrition. Malnutrition was identified by the ACE care team, an inter-professional team working together daily to address patient needs, plan of care and anticipated discharge plans. The ACE registered dietitian noticed an overwhelming trend of malnourished patients with little desire to eat. The dietitians have order writing privileges through their scope of practice in which …show more content…
The ACE Unit team worked together with the Food and Nutrition department to change the standard dinnerware to brightly colored china. The brightly colored dinnerware, also known as Fiestaware, was implemented to increase the contrast between food and plates in order to promote nutrition in the older adult.
The ACE unit at PSJMC is a 30 bed acute care unit dedicated to the care of the elderly population, 65 years old and up, with a committed prehab environment and a specially trained care team. The unit officially opened in March of 2014 with core components including patient centered care, frequent medication review, early and ongoing rehab, early discharge planning, and a geriatric prepared …show more content…
Vision has been found to deteriorate as the population ages and is a common risk factors for functional decline. As seen in a study of 80+ year old home care patients, found that 40% had impaired and 56% had slightly impaired vision, (Haanes, 2014). Visual contrast deterioration appears to be progressive and age may be associated with loss of contrast sensitivity, (Lin, 2015). Recognized risk factors for impairments in vision include social withdrawal and depression. It has also been emphasized that these impairments can have a serious effect on a person?s quality of life; significantly influencing the activities of daily living (ADL), such as dressing, eating, and personal hygiene (Haanes
Introduction
The Acute Care for the Elderly (ACE) Unit at Presence Saint Joseph Medical Center (PSJMC) identified a growing cause for concern related to malnutrition and decided to investigate further options to enhance appetite and promote proper nutrition. Malnutrition was identified by the ACE care team, an inter-professional team working together daily to address patient needs, plan of care and anticipated discharge plans. The ACE registered dietitian noticed an overwhelming trend of malnourished patients with little desire to eat. The dietitians have order writing privileges through their scope of practice in which …show more content…
The ACE Unit team worked together with the Food and Nutrition department to change the standard dinnerware to brightly colored china. The brightly colored dinnerware, also known as Fiestaware, was implemented to increase the contrast between food and plates in order to promote nutrition in the older adult.
The ACE unit at PSJMC is a 30 bed acute care unit dedicated to the care of the elderly population, 65 years old and up, with a committed prehab environment and a specially trained care team. The unit officially opened in March of 2014 with core components including patient centered care, frequent medication review, early and ongoing rehab, early discharge planning, and a geriatric prepared …show more content…
Vision has been found to deteriorate as the population ages and is a common risk factors for functional decline. As seen in a study of 80+ year old home care patients, found that 40% had impaired and 56% had slightly impaired vision, (Haanes, 2014). Visual contrast deterioration appears to be progressive and age may be associated with loss of contrast sensitivity, (Lin, 2015). Recognized risk factors for impairments in vision include social withdrawal and depression. It has also been emphasized that these impairments can have a serious effect on a person?s quality of life; significantly influencing the activities of daily living (ADL), such as dressing, eating, and personal hygiene (Haanes