Study supports ‘family’ dining

Eating meals family-style can boost nutrition, hydration and quality of life for people with dementia, scientists have found.

Other helpful interventions included playing music and providing accessible snacks, according to results published in May in BioMed Central (BMC) Geriatrics.

For people with dementia, there should be a “holistic mix of where they eat and drink, the atmosphere, physical and social support offered, the understanding of formal caregivers, and levels of physical activity enjoyed,” advised Lee Hooper, Ph.D., senior lecturer at University of East Angila’s Norwich Medical School in the UK.