Careful hand-feeding for patients with severe dementia is at least as good as tube-feeding for the outcomes of death, aspiration pneumonia, functional status and patient comfort. Food is the preferred nutrient. Use of oral nutritional supplements may be beneficial. Tube-feeding is associated with agitation, increased use of physical and chemical restraints and worsening pressure ulcers.

Conditions: Dementia, Alzheimer’s Disease

Treatments: Percutaneous Feeding Tubes, Nasogastric Tube (NG Tube), Jejunostomy Tube (J-tube), Gastrostomy Tube (G-tube), Gastrojejunostomy Tube (GJ-tube), Oral Feeding, Nutritional Support