AusACPDM Mealtimes Study Day

Need to achieve better descriptions of populations, and for these to be shared.

Teams

• Role of different team members eg psychologist – (behavioural issues, support for families clients, impact of difficulties and of interventions on relationships with family and other caregivers).
• Role of the dietician as a team member.

Longitudinal Changes

• Developmental changes in ‘ageing’- do children with chronic neurological impairment experience deterioration in function, as experienced with aging, earlier?
• Implications of saliva management in children and adults – eg, saliva glands removed or transposed – impact on swallowing function short term, longer term health outcomes - arising from the interaction of oral hygiene with respiratory health
• Natural histories of clients /interventions (dysphagia)
• Discussion of research methodologies to try to achieve robust research outcomes – given small and highly heterogenous population
• Clinical decision making – better / more evidence now
• Documenting / collecting data systematically across states

Intervention

• Emotional/cultural issues around feeding ie – parents’ feelings around food intake, nurturing and their parenting role – what are the differences, how can these be taken into consideration in determining interventions?
• Limited research about interventions – need to be better described and researched
• Use CP Register across states to follow up children with dysphagia
• Overnight feeding – safety issues, what does it mean for families?
• Presence of primitive reflexes and oral feeding – more refined predictive information about the relationships between oro-motor abilities, dysphagia and longer term health/quality of life outcomes
• Rights of parents to make decisions about feeding which may impact (short or long term) on morbidity and mortality - interacts with the role of professionals to provide clear, evidence based and accessible information in a timely and sensitive way
• Qualitative research

Development and support for a list serve ie: dysphagia issues. Could be used to:

• Put up research questions
• Who is doing what?
• Have more and continuing forums