Recent news in elder care trends suggests a fundamental change may be on the horizon when it comes to life sustaining procedures, and topping that list is percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG), commonly referred to as a "G-tube". There is uniquely significant data supporting both sides of this argument that remains to be a moral dilemma wrapped within a legal obligation that continually prevails as a purely case sensitive issue - do you allow or deny your loved one to be placed on G-tube feeding? This particular method of medical intervention raises controversy on a growing scale as families are faced with overwhelming decisions. The struggle to understand the benefits and adverse effects of PEG placement procedures remains an incredible burden upon healthcare professionals and families alike.
A very simple set of clearly defined official guidelines require that Nursing Home Facilities must provide three nutritionally balanced meals on a daily basis, this includes an additional snack in the evening before bedtime. These guidelines can provide an all too often surprising set of menu choices for families and residents alike, which can be good, bad, or both. Although the Federal rules exist, they do not govern G-tube monitoring, nor do they gauge the quality of care or implementation of services, oftentimes leaving family members holding an "empty tray" when it comes to understanding the nutritional care loved ones actually receive.
Speaking With Experts Can Help
Sit down with primary health care providers, learning the facts upfront today can save you from confusing or painful decisions tomorrow. Keep in mind that the on site staff are your best resource when it comes to learning the unique challenges facing your loved one, getting informed and staying involved is your best strategy to ensure that comprehensive care is a sincere focus, something residents alone, are powerless to control. Remember, eating is a socially complex event and as with any emotionally triggered responses, one must take a step back and maintain a responsible narrative for the patient's best interest.
Talk to the Doctor, they need your input to fill in the blanks.
Stay up to date with the on site Nutritionist.
Share your questions and concerns; silence is not an option.
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The mass preparation of nutritional meals based upon a growing multitude of various individual diet requirements is a daunting task for any facility, and while the majority of Nursing homes offer a surprising variety of pleasant, delicious foods, the freedom of choice is not enough to ensure healthy eating habits. Diverse, ethnic selections and flavor filled guilty pleasures must be accounted for as well when considering a consistent, health conscience menu that combines nutritional value with the emotional satisfaction needed to sustain a truly healthy lifestyle representative of the individual's life prior to being placed into the Nursing Home facility.
Be active and engaging, participation is key.
Share information about favorite foods and any known food allergies.
Sit down and eat together, although residents generally eat together in a dining hall, it is a familial social ritual. Not to mention, if you won't eat it, why should they?
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What Does All Of This Talk About Nutrition Really Mean?
Occasionally, patients will refuse to eat for any number of reasons. This is where an expertly trained and educated staff plays an important role in determining what the underlying issue is. By following simple and somewhat universal standards of data collection and physical monitoring; things like a sudden increase or decrease in weight, adverse effects of certain medicines, or gastrointestinal issues, can easily be detected and successfully treated without the patient experiencing a traumatic break of their healthy routine, reducing stress, extending life, and giving families peace of mind.
Are Assisted Feeding Programs Really Necessary?
There are a vast number of reasons that a patient could be a candidate for an assisted feeding program, the top of the list is failure of the epiglottis which causes the patient to aspirate food directly into their lungs. The epiglottis is a small flap in our throats that closes access to the airway, in turn providing a safe delivery of food and liquids into the stomach.
In the majority of cases, early detection leads to prevention and can even reverse this problem with an intensive speech therapy regimen. Still, there are those who suffer from various forms of debilitating circumstances which will require they participate in an assisted feeding program. This could be in the form of assisted hand feeding, a liquid diet with thickeners, intravenous feedings, or even having a gastronomy tube inserted directly into the stomach to prevent the aspiration from ever occurring. PEG is the final and most extreme procedure in the medical tool box to combat feeding problems with patients and is not taken lightly or entered into without having first exhausted all other known remedies available. Notably, "G-tubes" are not a popular option, and most States have widely varying laws governing their usage, but malnutrition is a serious issue and Nursing Homes must follow strict procedures and policies in order to maintain the well being of patients.
??
Things To Ask Your Attorney
Can a facility force a patient to participate in an assisted feeding program?
What happens if a patient refuses to eat, under any circumstances, can the facility insert a G-tube without formal notice or legal consent?
How and Who are the family members responsible for these kinds of decisions?
Are family members legally allowed any say concerning a patient's therapeutic diet?
[/list]
A very simple set of clearly defined official guidelines require that Nursing Home Facilities must provide three nutritionally balanced meals on a daily basis, this includes an additional snack in the evening before bedtime. These guidelines can provide an all too often surprising set of menu choices for families and residents alike, which can be good, bad, or both. Although the Federal rules exist, they do not govern G-tube monitoring, nor do they gauge the quality of care or implementation of services, oftentimes leaving family members holding an "empty tray" when it comes to understanding the nutritional care loved ones actually receive.
Speaking With Experts Can Help
Sit down with primary health care providers, learning the facts upfront today can save you from confusing or painful decisions tomorrow. Keep in mind that the on site staff are your best resource when it comes to learning the unique challenges facing your loved one, getting informed and staying involved is your best strategy to ensure that comprehensive care is a sincere focus, something residents alone, are powerless to control. Remember, eating is a socially complex event and as with any emotionally triggered responses, one must take a step back and maintain a responsible narrative for the patient's best interest.
Talk to the Doctor, they need your input to fill in the blanks.
Stay up to date with the on site Nutritionist.
Share your questions and concerns; silence is not an option.
[/list]
The mass preparation of nutritional meals based upon a growing multitude of various individual diet requirements is a daunting task for any facility, and while the majority of Nursing homes offer a surprising variety of pleasant, delicious foods, the freedom of choice is not enough to ensure healthy eating habits. Diverse, ethnic selections and flavor filled guilty pleasures must be accounted for as well when considering a consistent, health conscience menu that combines nutritional value with the emotional satisfaction needed to sustain a truly healthy lifestyle representative of the individual's life prior to being placed into the Nursing Home facility.
Be active and engaging, participation is key.
Share information about favorite foods and any known food allergies.
Sit down and eat together, although residents generally eat together in a dining hall, it is a familial social ritual. Not to mention, if you won't eat it, why should they?
[/list]
What Does All Of This Talk About Nutrition Really Mean?
Occasionally, patients will refuse to eat for any number of reasons. This is where an expertly trained and educated staff plays an important role in determining what the underlying issue is. By following simple and somewhat universal standards of data collection and physical monitoring; things like a sudden increase or decrease in weight, adverse effects of certain medicines, or gastrointestinal issues, can easily be detected and successfully treated without the patient experiencing a traumatic break of their healthy routine, reducing stress, extending life, and giving families peace of mind.
Are Assisted Feeding Programs Really Necessary?
There are a vast number of reasons that a patient could be a candidate for an assisted feeding program, the top of the list is failure of the epiglottis which causes the patient to aspirate food directly into their lungs. The epiglottis is a small flap in our throats that closes access to the airway, in turn providing a safe delivery of food and liquids into the stomach.
In the majority of cases, early detection leads to prevention and can even reverse this problem with an intensive speech therapy regimen. Still, there are those who suffer from various forms of debilitating circumstances which will require they participate in an assisted feeding program. This could be in the form of assisted hand feeding, a liquid diet with thickeners, intravenous feedings, or even having a gastronomy tube inserted directly into the stomach to prevent the aspiration from ever occurring. PEG is the final and most extreme procedure in the medical tool box to combat feeding problems with patients and is not taken lightly or entered into without having first exhausted all other known remedies available. Notably, "G-tubes" are not a popular option, and most States have widely varying laws governing their usage, but malnutrition is a serious issue and Nursing Homes must follow strict procedures and policies in order to maintain the well being of patients.
??
Things To Ask Your Attorney
Can a facility force a patient to participate in an assisted feeding program?
What happens if a patient refuses to eat, under any circumstances, can the facility insert a G-tube without formal notice or legal consent?
How and Who are the family members responsible for these kinds of decisions?
Are family members legally allowed any say concerning a patient's therapeutic diet?
[/list]