Enteral Feeding in Aged Care

Chapter 7: Enteral Feeding

Overview:

This chapter provides a basic guide to enteral feeding, including:

• Placement of the tube
• Feeding
• Caring for the tube site
• Administration of medications
• Venting or decompression
• General care
• Troubleshooting
• Psychological adjustment

Description:
In caring for elderly persons who are unable to eat or swallow oral foods, nurses and carers must ensure that the appropriate nutritional requirements are met. This chapter covers the skills required to ensure the necessary nutritional needs of a person requiring enteral feeding are met.

Topics:

• Introduction
• Definitions and indications
• Nutritional assessment
• Placement of the tube
• Feeding
  • Type of delivery
  • Type of formula
• Caring for the tube site
• Administration of medications
• Venting or decompression
• General care
  • Cleaning the equipment
  • Weight
  • Mouth care
  • Feeding position
  • Checking tube position
  • Troubleshooting
  • Blocked tube
  • Diarrhoea
  • Constipation
  • Nausea and vomiting
  • Reflux
  • Disengaged tube
• Psychological adjustment
• Conclusion

Speaker / Author:

Patsy Montgomery

Patsy Montgomery is a registered nurse, registered midwife, and stomal therapist who holds a degree in education from Monash University (Melbourne, Australia). She is co-founder of the Gastrostomy Information Support Service (GISS), president of the Peninsula Ostomy Association (Melbourne), and coordinator and clinical nurse consultant for the Abbott Nutrition Service (Victoria, Australia). Patsy provides a support service for tube-fed patients following discharge from hospital into the community, and also provides advice and support for the families and carers of patients. This includes information and help for managing enteral tubes and equipment, advice about methods of feeding and nursing care, and information regarding supply of formula, equipment, and pumps. She also organises in-service training, workshops, videos, and literature for healthcare professionals in these areas.

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