Residents with severe dementia or other end stage diseases eat less as part of the natural progression of their disease. Research at end of life suggests that as residents eat and drink less they do not suffer from hunger or thirst. This session will focus on “Comfort Feeding Only” (CFO), when oral intake is not sufficient to sustain life, and if prolonging life with artificial hydration is not consistent with the residents' wishes (as expressed by the resident or their substitute decision maker (SDM)).

This webinar is intended for long-term care leaders facilitating practice change and direct care staff that will benefit from understanding CFO process and the goal of the feedings to achieve comfort by employing the least invasive and potentially most satisfying way to provide nutrition. During this webinar, participants will:

Understand process followed to identify gap, develop policy and implementation of CFO
How to have a conversation with resident, family/SDM for comfort feeding only
Learn different implementation strategies to initiate CFO
Know strategies focusing on safe positioning and swallowing
Recognize symptoms such as dry mouth that can be alleviated with minimal oral intake and/or oral care

Presented by Dr. Evelyn Williams and Jennifer Wong - Veteran's Centre Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in collaboration with Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario (2017). Comfort Feeding Only(CFO): Managing Feeding at End-of-Life. RNAO You Tube. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/OB_HMSqKcao