MEASURING PERSON-AND TASK-CENTERED DEMENTIA MEALTIME CARE - VALIDATING CLINICALLY PRACTICAL TOOLS

Sep 29, 2026

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Person-centered mealtime care (PCMC) supports individual abilities, needs, and preferences, using dyadic interactions and environmental stimulation to engage people with dementia. Task-centered mealtime care (TCMC) emphasizes completing eating activities without adequately considering those individualized factors. To address the lack of valid, clinically practical measurement tools, the study adapted the Cue Utilization and Engagement in Dementia (CUED) video-coding scheme into two observational scales and tested structural validity.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages1

Reading Time3 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Care Models and Measurement Need

Scale Adaptation and Coding Approach

Psychometric Findings

Implications and Future Testing

460 Innovation in Aging, 2025, Vol. 9, No. S2 Abstract citation ID: igaf122.1572 MEASURING PERSON-AND TASK-CENTERED DEMENTIA MEALTIME CARE: VALIDATING CLINICALLY PRACTICAL TOOLS Wen Liu1, Yelena Perkhounkova2, and Maria Hein2, 1. Penn State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, United States, 2. University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, United States Person-centered mealtime care (PCMC) is assistance prioritizing accommodations of individual abilities, needs, and preferences and engaging individuals in eating through dyadic interactions and environmental stimulations. Task-centered mealtime care (TCMC) is assistance prioritizing completion of eating activities without adequate considerations of individual needs and preferences. Maximizing PCMC and minimizing TCMC is critical to optimize mealtime care quality and outcomes for people with dementia. Few tools are valid and clinically practical to measure PCMC and TCMC. We adapted the Cue Utilization and Engagement in Dementia (CUED) video-coding scheme, a novel and valid but resource-intensive tool, into two observational scales and examined their structural validity to assess PCMC and TCMC. 424 videos of dyadic mealtime interactions (mean duration=25.8 minutes, range=1-142 minutes) were coded using CUED, capturing 66 staff (age mean=39.6 years; 84.9% female; 22.7% non-white; 16.9% Hispanic) in 10 nursing homes. Staff behaviors were categorized based on frequency: 0 (not observed), 1 (observed 1-2 times), and 2 (observed ≥3 times) . Several behaviors were combined based on content relevance and redundancy, resulting in 16 PCMC items and 5 TCMC items. For PCMC, 20 random splits of videos were created for exploratory (EFA) and confirmatory factor analyses (CFA): 1- and 2-factor structures with 8-9 items were suggested by EFA; an 8-item 1-factor scale (Cronbach alpha=.75) was chosen based on conceptual interpretability, CFA model fit, and internal consistency. A 3-item TCMC scale (Cronbach alpha=.32) was identified. Future testing is needed using the scales for direct observations of mealtime care in nursing homes to establish clinical utility.

FAQs

What is the difference between PCMC and TCMC in this study?

PCMC prioritizes accommodating individual abilities, needs, and preferences and engages eating through dyadic interaction and environmental stimulation. TCMC prioritizes completion of eating activities without adequate consideration of individual needs and preferences.

How did the researchers create the two observational scales?

They adapted the CUED video-coding scheme into two observational scales. A total of 424 dyadic mealtime interaction videos were coded using CUED, then behaviors were combined to form 16 PCMC items and 5 TCMC items.

What validation results were reported for PCMC and TCMC?

For PCMC, exploratory factor analysis suggested 1- and 2-factor structures, and an 8-item 1-factor scale was selected based on interpretability, confirmatory model fit, and internal consistency (Cronbach alpha = .75). For TCMC, a 3-item scale was identified with Cronbach alpha = .32.

Sep 29, 2026

Upload by Elsa