When a person has a stroke, has dementia, or is visually impaired, he or she may face certain challenges in regard to eating. The CNA can provide great assistance by understanding the characteristics of each condition and by implementing strategies to overcome these difficulties. This program discusses some commonly occurring conditions that present feeding challenges and suggests techniques the CNA can use to make mealtime more satisfying and nutritionally effective for the resident.

After completing this activity, the participant should be able to:

• discuss the significance of food and adequate nutrition and hydration.
• describe certain conditions/diseases that create eating/feeding challenges.
• describe environmental conditions that could affect mealtime.
• identify strategies to reduce the challenges of mealtime.