Minnesota Administrative Rules

4658.0530 ASSISTANCE WITH EATING.

Subpart 1.

Nursing personnel.

Nursing personnel must determine that residents are served diets as prescribed. Residents needing help in eating must be promptly assisted upon receipt of the meals and the assistance must be unhurried and in a manner that maintains or enhances each resident's dignity and respect. Adaptive self-help devices must be provided to contribute to the resident's independence in eating. Food and fluid intake of residents must be observed and deviations from normal reported to the nurse responsible for the resident's care during the work period the observation of a deviation was made. Persistent unresolved problems must be reported to the attending physician.

Subp. 2.

Volunteers.

Volunteers may assist residents with eating if the following conditions are met:

A.

the nursing home has a policy allowing that assistance. The policy must specify whether family members are allowed to assist their immediate relatives with eating and, if allowed, what training is required for family members;

B.

the resident has been assessed and a determination made that the resident may be safely fed by a volunteer, and that is documented in the comprehensive plan of care;

C.

the resident has agreed, or an immediate family member, the legal guardian, or designated representative has agreed for the resident, to be fed by a volunteer;

D.

the volunteer has completed a training program on assisting residents with eating, which, at a minimum, meets the training and competency standards for eating assistance contained in the nursing assistant training curriculum;

E.

the director of nursing services must be responsible for the monitoring of all persons, including family members, performing this activity; and

F.

there are mechanisms in place to ensure appropriate reporting to nursing personnel of observations made by the volunteer during meal time.

Subp. 3.

Risk of choking.

A resident identified in the comprehensive resident assessment, and as addressed in the comprehensive plan of care, as being at risk of choking on food must be continuously monitored by nursing personnel when the resident is eating so that timely emergency intervention can occur if necessary.

Statutory Authority:

MS s 144A.04; 144A.08; 256B.431

History:

20 SR 303

Published Electronically:

October 11, 2007