A Situation-Specific Theory of Dining Supports for Life Enhancement at Welfare Facilities for Seniors in Japan

The situation-specific theory (SST) named “Dining Supports for Life Enhancement at Welfare Facilities for Seniors (DLWS) in Japan” was developed with the goal of life enhancement for each individual welfare facility resident. The DLWS theory was developed through the approaches integrating a concept analysis, a literature review and qualitative research on clinical practices of nurses. Thus it would offer the conceptual framework of nursing intervention of dining supports. The DLWS theory explain the phenomena of dining and its support. The DLWS theory involves three sub-concepts for explaining the phenomena related to dining: (1) required conditions, (2) dining, and (3) life enhancement which were developed from the concept analysis of dining. And the DLWS theory organizes the dining conditions and environment and strives to create the ideal dining experience through four support processes: (1) daily life support, (2) dining preparation, (3) dining support, and (4) reflection and improvement. Through these processes, the theory is expected to contribute to lifestyle rebuilding and well-being of residents.