Nathan Davies, Kanthee Anantapong, Victoria Vickerstaff, Elizabeth L Sampson , 2025-05-15 12:01:00
- Nathan Davies, professor1,
- Kanthee Anantapong, associate professor2,
- Victoria Vickerstaff, senior lecturer3,
- Elizabeth L Sampson, professor4
- 1Centre for Psychiatry and Mental Health, Wolfson Institute of Population Health, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
- 2Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai, Thailand
- 3Centre for Evaluation and Methods, Wolfson Institute of Population Health, Queen Mary University of London, UK
- 4Academic Centre for Healthy Ageing, Whipps Cross Hospital, Barts Health NHS Trust Queen Mary University of London
- Correspondence to: N Davies n.davies{at}qmul.ac.uk
Eating and drinking are core aspects of human experience and more than just the intake of fluid and calories, bringing social interaction, enjoyment and expression of individuality, and social and cultural values.1 Difficulties with food and fluid intake can occur through all stages of dementia and are often more problematic in the advanced stages.2 Enteral tube feeding, including nasogastric tube and percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) tube feeding, was initially viewed as an intervention to provide nutritional support for those with dementia who were experiencing difficulties with eating and drinking and were unable to take in sufficient food or fluids orally. Not providing nutrition might be perceived as an indicator of neglect— allowing someone to “starve to death.”3 Increasingly though, research has shown enteral tube feeding has minimal or lack of benefit, no evidence of increased survival, and a higher risk of harm, including development of pressure ulcers and aspiration.4 This is reflected in clinical practice where better understanding has led to a decline in …
