Dietitians Australia 2024: Home Tube Feeding Symposium
What if I told you that a Home Tube Feeding Symposium at the Dietitians Australia 2024 Conference had the audience in tears? Would you believe me?
At DA2024, I’m was on a mission to put the home in home tube feeding. Yes, it’s true that Australia lacks a national home enteral nutrition program to ensure consistent, high standards of care, and that funding varies widely between states, often falling short for our vulnerable friends who rely on feeding tubes. But in the moments that matter—at the telly-side or bedside—none of that bureaucracy matters.
What truly counts is YOU, the provider, remembering that nutrition is deeply personal, and nutrition through tube feeding is no exception.
Our presentation, Humanising Tube Feeding, was a heartfelt reminder of what really matters. I’m immensely grateful to my co-presenter, Juliette McAleer, whose heartfelt story of home tube feeding left the audience in goosebumps.
No calculators, no stress factors, no energy requirement calculations, and no pump rate discussions—just honest, heartfelt conversations about bringing care back to the home.
Together, we aimed to empower dietitians in Australia (and beyond) to embrace feeding tubes without fear and to redefine success. Not as weight, bowel function, or biochem stability, but as: Does the feeding regimen allow social connection? Does it empower the person? Do they miss chewing? Do they miss their cultural foods?
A special shout-out to our live artist, Hayley Langsdorf, whose illustration about brought our presentation to life.
Warm regards,
Lina Breik.