Meeting the new dining standards

Research has shown that restrictive diets provide little benefit for older adults in long-term care, and they might even be harmful. Of concern are weight loss and meal rejection issues. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) have sent letters to state survey agencies notifying them of its support for new dining practice standards.

Nursing homes should encourage seniors to be informed on how to choose food and select the best foods to fit their needs. They should monitor diets, however, and suggest care planning alternatives that benefit residents yet respect their right to make choices.

The new dining standards toolkit was funded by the Rothschild Foundation and designed by Pioneer Network to assist long-term care organizations to provide a liberalized, regular diet for their residents while honoring their individual choices. The toolkit offers information on how to implement the updated dining standards into facilities’ dietary programs. 

The new dining standards toolkit, available for $149, covers topics, such as:

• Model policies and procedures with algorithms
• Tip sheets and forms
• Brochures for residents and families.

The toolkit also provides additional resources and includes CMS’ Quality Indicator Survey and Traditional Survey tools.

Sandra Hoban

Sandra Hoban was on I Advance Senior Care / Long-Term Living’s editorial staff for 17 years. She is one of the country’s longest-serving senior care journalists. Before joining Long-Term Living, she was a member of the promotions department at Advanstar Communications. In addition to her editorial experience, Sandi has served past roles in print and broadcast advertising as a traffic and talent coordinator.