Maybe he has a food fetish and he was at the point of no return when you brought his food

Icy-Hot

I'm a CNA and yes, if they can do that they can still not be able to feed themselves because they may have issues swallowing, or even need to be cued to eat, because with severe dementia they can forget how to eat food and even swallow. I'm assuming op is also a CNA, in which case they should be more mature about this. Legally, hospitals and homes are required to provide privacy for residents for their sexual needs, and yes, to pretend not to notice to but to move them somewhere else that is not in front of other residents if they were in a dining hall. Its called human rights. Residents also don't have to eat exactly when meals come, so what the op should have done is asked the resident if they'd like some privacy and move them back to their room, and then feed them later after they're done. TL;DR op needs to have more compassion.

wow, i can't believe that policy... i would probably smack him... and get fired... oh well

You also shouldn't be posting this on a public site.

If he asks you to help him... Do you have to...? 0.o

Did he have dementia?

Hey, it's maybe the only enjoyment the poor old git gets. Just deal with it, what's the big deal?

This is even funnier because you have a policy regarding it. How many old men must have done this before management said "We should address this"

OP, you should have said that you could come back at a more convenient time-if he's not suffering from dementia, he shouldn't be masturbating in front of you.