Systematic Intervention with Formal Caregivers to Promote Nutritional Health of Older People with Dementia: An Impact Evaluation Study

Paola Sarmiento-González, María Elisa Moreno-Fergusson, Alejandra Rojas-Rivera, Juan Alcides Cuadros-Mojica, Bibiana Ramírez-Pulido and Beatriz Sánchez-Herrera ()
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Paola Sarmiento-González: School of Nursing and Rehabilitation, Universidad de La Sabana, Chia 250001, Colombia
María Elisa Moreno-Fergusson: School of Nursing and Rehabilitation, Universidad de La Sabana, Chia 250001, Colombia
Alejandra Rojas-Rivera: School of Nursing and Midwifery, Universidad de Los Andes, Santiago 12455, Chile
Juan Alcides Cuadros-Mojica: Puravida Fundación, Bogota 110111, Colombia
Bibiana Ramírez-Pulido: EICEA, School of Gastronomy, Universidad de La Sabana, Chia 250001, Colombia
Beatriz Sánchez-Herrera: School of Nursing and Rehabilitation, Universidad de La Sabana, Chia 250001, Colombia

IJERPH, 2025, vol. 22, issue 6, 1-12

Abstract: Nutritional health is essential for older people with dementia. Their feeding is a challenge for which caregivers are not always ready, and an intervention that supports them may have a significant social impact. The aim of this project is to design and evaluate the impact of systematic nursing intervention with formal caregivers to promote nutritional health for older people with dementia. This is a “Nursing Methodology Research” study conducted with formal caregivers of older people with dementia in four Colombian nursing homes. It includes three consecutive phases: (1) systematic intervention design under Whittemore and Grey’s parameters, (2) intervention validation with seven international experts, and (3) measurement of intervention impact, which included a quasi-experimental pre-test–post-test design. The “Nurturing Neurons—Formal Caregivers” intervention met the criteria of systematic health interventions. In response to the work and personal requirements of formal caregivers, the intervention used a tele-support modality. Its content validity ratio (CVR) ranged from 0.88 to 0.92; its content validity index (CVI) was 0.90. The experience was positive for the participant caregivers (94.9%) and professional providers (92.5%). The overall caregivers’ caring competence changed from the medium, 78.1, to the high category, 91.5 ( p < 0.001). Their perceived burden of care changed from 70.4 to 63.6 ( p < 0.001). In conclusion, “Nurturing Neurons—Formal Caregivers” achieved a positive impact, with changes in the structure, processes, and outputs to promote the nutritional health of older people with dementia. It led to a significant improvement in formal caregivers’ caring competence and decreased their perceived care burden. Its cost–benefit was favorable; it generated health equity for a vulnerable population and achieved unexpected benefits in the context.

Keywords: caregivers; dementia; geriatric nursing; nutrition; nursing methodology research; health impact assessment; Latin America (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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