Co-designing a mealtime intervention integrating Spaced Retrieval and montessori-based activities for people with dementia living in nursing homes

Zhoumei Yan; Victoria Traynor; Elizabeth Halcomb; Ibrahim Alananzeh; Joel Zugai; Peta Drury

doi:10.1177/14713012251340112

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Co-designing a mealtime intervention integrating Spaced Retrieval and montessori-based activities for people with dementia living in nursing homes

Journal article

Open access

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Co-designing a mealtime intervention integrating Spaced Retrieval and montessori-based activities for people with dementia living in nursing homes

Zhoumei Yan, Victoria Traynor, Elizabeth Halcomb, Ibrahim Alananzeh, Joel Zugai and Peta Drury

Dementia , Vol.25(3), pp.540-556

2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/14713012251340112

PMID: 40346448

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Abstract

co-design

dementia

residential aged care

feeding intervention

spaced retrieval

montessori-based activities

Introduction Eating difficulties significantly impact the nutrition, health, and well-being of people with dementia worldwide. Training strategies, such as Spaced Retrieval and Montessori-based activities, have the potential to enhance the self-eating ability of people with dementia but have not been widely tested. This paper reports the co-design and preliminary testing of the SPREMON (Spaced Retrieval and Montessori-based activities) intervention to enhance mealtime independence and experiences for people with dementia living in nursing homes. Methods Informed by experience-based co-design methodology, this study used a three-phase approach to intervention development. Three initial sessions were conducted with aged care professionals to develop and refine the intervention. Four pilot sessions were conducted with people with dementia to assess the feasibility and suitability of intervention elements. A final consultation session explored the data and identified barriers and facilitators to successful implementation. While field notes were kept in early sessions, the final session was audio-recorded and transcribed for analysis. Thematic analysis was undertaken with all qualitative data, while observational data are reported using descriptive statistics. Findings Six aged-care professionals, 3 researchers, and 9 people with dementia participated in the intervention development. The intervention approach was positively appraised for its potential to enhance self-feeding abilities in people with dementia while saving staff time. Participants suggested improvements to the Spaced Retrieval approach by incorporating visual and verbal cues to make it less confrontational. However, challenges regarding the lack of detail and guidance for implementing Montessori-based activities made them difficult to apply without clarification. Additional barriers included staff shortages, engagement difficulties, and scheduling conflicts. Pilot activities highlighted practical considerations for intervention implementation and patient engagement. Discussion and Implications This study demonstrates that the SPREMON intervention holds significant potential to enhance the self-eating ability of people with dementia living in nursing homes. However, the paper also highlights potential challenges in the implementation.

Details

Title: Co-designing a mealtime intervention integrating Spaced Retrieval and montessori-based activities for people with dementia living in nursing homes
Authors: Zhoumei Yan (Corresponding Author) - University of Wollongong
Victoria Traynor - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Health - Nursing
Elizabeth Halcomb - University of Wollongong
Ibrahim Alananzeh - University of Wollongong
Joel Zugai - University of Wollongong
Peta Drury - University of Wollongong
Publication details: Dementia , Vol.25(3), pp.540-556
Publisher: Sage Publications Ltd.
Date published: 2026
DOI: 10.1177/14713012251340112
ISSN: 1741-2684
PMID: 40346448
Copyright note: © The Author(s) 2025. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits non-commercial use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access page (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage).
Grant note: This study is supported by The first author (ZMY) awarded tuition fee from the University of Wollongong and living stipend from China Scholarships Council for four years.
Organisation Unit: Healthy Ageing Research Cluster; School of Health - Nursing
Language: English
Record Identifier: 991129987402621
Output Type: Journal article

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Web Of Science research areas: Gerontology

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