Providing person centred care – PEG feeding

You will likely hear of person centred care or person centred approach quite a lot. And there’s good reason too. It’s fundamental for providing care to individuals. In this blog post, we look at ways we can provide person centred care when supporting individuals who require PEG feeding.

First let’s recap – what is PEG feeding?

PEG feeding has many other names: 

• enteral feeding
• tube feeding
• peg care
• gastrostomy feeding
• and others

An individual may require their fluid, nutrition and/or medication via PEG feeding. This may be due to the individual being nil by mouth or they may have significant difficulties in eating or drinking. There are various other reasons too.

Now let’s recap – what is person centred care?

Person centred care is an approach where individuals are provided with appropriate care and support which reflects their needs, wishes and preferences. The support provided is tailored and individualised to the person.

Person centred care can look like:  

• Using supportive strategies tailored for the individuals
• Providing access to the community and social interaction
• Ensuring the right equipment is being used in the appropriate way

There are plenty of other ways you can provide person centred care too.

How can we provide person centred care for individuals with peg feeding?

There are various ways we can provide person centred care when supporting an individual with their PEG care. This may include: 

• Communication
• Choice and dignity 

Communication

When supporting an individual with any care or support, communication is essential. We should always look to prepare the individual. Imagine you were being supported and you were not involved in your care. Imagine if you were eating with your colleagues, friends or family and they were not speaking to you. How would you feel? Some individuals may like to be communicated with and others may not. Learn and understand their wishes, likes, dislikes and preferences and support them.

Choice and dignity

Choice and dignity are also very important. We can provide choice and dignity by asking the service user where they would like to have their peg feed care completed. Some service users may not wish to be seen by others, whilst others may happily be supported in front of others. When out in the community, it is important to identify the individual’s wishes and preferences. Are they happy being supported with their PEG feeding regime in a cafe or would they prefer a closed setting? 

 Are you looking for PEG Feeding training?

We can provide a half day and full day course including the key principles of supporting individuals with their fluids, nutrition and medication requirements.

Click the PEG Feeding icon below to visit our PEG Feeding training course summary page.

Let us know in the comments below, what other ways could we provide Person Centred Care?