TY - JOUR

T1 - Perceptions and Attitudes about Eating with the Fingers-An Explorative Study among Older Adults with Motoric Eating Difficulties, Relatives and Professional Caregivers

AU - Forsberg, Sarah

AU - Westergren, Albert

AU - Wendin, Karin

AU - Rothenberg, Elisabet

AU - Bredie, Wender L.P.

AU - Nyberg, Maria

N1 - Funding Information: This study was funded by The Kamprad Family Foundation for Entrepreneurship, Research and Charity. We would like to thank the Scanian Parkinson coalition and the Network for Eating and Nutrition for all their help with recruitment. We would also like to thank all the participants.

PY - 2022

Y1 - 2022

N2 - Difficulties of managing cutlery, manipulating food on the plate and transporting food to the mouth may negatively influence the ability for self-provision and nutritional status among older adults with motoric eating difficulties. The purpose was to explore perceptions and attitudes about eating with the fingers among older adults with motoric eating difficulties, and relatives and professional caregivers of older adults with motoric eating difficulties. Qualitative data was collected through individual interviews with older adults >65 years (N = 14) with motoric eating difficulties and focus groups with relatives (N = 15) and professional caregivers (N = 15). Data was analyzed using deductive and inductive content analysis. Although the older adults had normative ideas about proper eating and culinary rules, they regularly consumed several foods with their fingers without previously reflecting upon this. Using bread to grip or wrap foods and inserting skewers into foods may increase the acceptability of eating with the fingers. However, the importance of the disease causing the eating difficulties, how it was perceived, and its severity were crucial in understanding how eating with the fingers was perceived. Finger foods may be suitable for older adults with major eating difficulties because they have developed a self-acceptance in relation to their condition over time.

AB - Difficulties of managing cutlery, manipulating food on the plate and transporting food to the mouth may negatively influence the ability for self-provision and nutritional status among older adults with motoric eating difficulties. The purpose was to explore perceptions and attitudes about eating with the fingers among older adults with motoric eating difficulties, and relatives and professional caregivers of older adults with motoric eating difficulties. Qualitative data was collected through individual interviews with older adults >65 years (N = 14) with motoric eating difficulties and focus groups with relatives (N = 15) and professional caregivers (N = 15). Data was analyzed using deductive and inductive content analysis. Although the older adults had normative ideas about proper eating and culinary rules, they regularly consumed several foods with their fingers without previously reflecting upon this. Using bread to grip or wrap foods and inserting skewers into foods may increase the acceptability of eating with the fingers. However, the importance of the disease causing the eating difficulties, how it was perceived, and its severity were crucial in understanding how eating with the fingers was perceived. Finger foods may be suitable for older adults with major eating difficulties because they have developed a self-acceptance in relation to their condition over time.

KW - Eating with fingers

KW - motoric eating difficulties

KW - older adults

KW - perceptions and attitudes

KW - professional caregivers

KW - relatives

U2 - 10.1080/21551197.2022.2025970

DO - 10.1080/21551197.2022.2025970

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 35038973

AN - SCOPUS:85122888659

VL - 41

SP - 65

EP - 91

JO - Journal of Nutrition in Gerontology and Geriatrics

JF - Journal of Nutrition in Gerontology and Geriatrics

SN - 2155-1197

IS - 1

ER -