Texture-Modified Food and Fluids in Dementia and Residential Aged Care Facilities
Clinical Interventions in Aging
Painter, V., Le Couteur, D. G., et al. (2017).
Clinical Interventions in Aging, 12, 1193-1203.
This systematic review investigates the effectiveness of texture-modified food and fluids on clinically relevant outcomes (e.g., aspiration, pneumonia, hospital readmission) in individuals with dementia living in residential care facilities.
Ageing and Alzheimer's Institute (Australia)
1990 to March 2017
All study designs except case studies
22
Results indicated that texture-modified food and fluids reduce aspiration as determined by videofluoroscopy; however, "more than half will aspirate regardless of intervention" (p. 1199). Insufficient evidence was found to suggest that texture-modified food and fluids produce clinically significant beneficial effects on aspiration, pneumonia, nutrition and hydration, morbidity or mortality for individuals with dementia. In fact, these studies suggested that individuals on texture-modified food and fluids "do not maintain their daily fluid requirements" (p. 1199). Evidence was not found on the effects of texture-modified food and fluids on quality of life for individuals with dementia living in residential care.
