My dad has been in a nursing home since Oct., 2008 due to Alzheimer's. My mother is there Sunday thru Friday to feed him at least one meal a day, and I am there all day Saturday and feed him two meals. They have on a "ground meat" diet. I questioned that decision since he chews his food a lot and seems to have no difficulty swallowing. I have spoken to a couple of the CNAs at the nursing home and while they are feeding him, they have not had any difficulty with him eating either. They sent him for a swallowing test and we have been told that they want to leave him on the "ground meat" diet. What questions should I ask the doctor or head nurse requarding their reasoning for leaving him on this diet? Since he is chewing his food "forever" and has no trouble swallowing (by getting choked), I don't understand the need for this diet. Not realizing that this was the diet they had him on, I have fed him pizza and Wendy's hamburger and my mom had taken him out to eat a couple of times, and he has not shown any problems at all. We DO NOT want to do anything that would harm him in anyway. Your advice on this would be greatly helpful! Thank you
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I would ask the doctor to explain exactly why he is on this diet.
Since your father chews, has no trouble swallowing and enjoys food, he should be able to eat what he wants, and he may enjoy his food more if he has a regular diet.
This sounds a bit like a convenience thing for the nursing staff (prevention of a problem that could exist if he weren't supervised). However, if there is no medical reason, this doesn't make sense to me. You should ask a doctor, or someone with access to his test results, who is not associated with the facility. Third parties are often good ways to find out the truth.
From what you've done, I think you know the questions. You just need to ask them of someone who has no interest in the way the nursing home functions. If other residents have regular meat meals, and your father doesn't need to be restricted, I don't see why he is. A third party could help you find out. Then, this doctor could communicate with the nursing home doctor.
Good luck and best wishes. You and your mom are wonderful caregivers.
Carol
You are welcome, Cathy, and good luck with this issue. There is always you ombudsman, whom you can find through your state Web site under aging services or something similar. They are your nursing home advocate, and if you feel you are getting the run around, they can help. However, it may be simpler to consult another doctor. Either way, I hope you get to the bottom of this. It sounds a bit fishy. If it's not, then you should have good records to show why this must be so.
Best,
Carol
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Thank you so much for answering my question. I did as instructed by the people giving the swallowing test and asked the Head Nurse about the test results. I was told that she didn't have them in the file. A different Head Nurse had showed Mom the test results later last week. I feel that we are getting the run around for some reason. I appreciate you suggestion about getting a third party to look at the report, I simply had not thought of that and didn't know what to do. Thank you again and bless you for being there to answer my question. Cathy