NPUAP New Nutrition Guidelines for Pressure Ulcers
NPUAP’s Prevention and Treatment of Pressure Ulcers: Clinical Practice Guidelines – A Quick Overview The National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel (NPUAP), European Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel (EPUAP) and Pan Pacific Pressure Injury Alliance (PPPIA) collaborated in the development of the 2014 edition of Prevention and Treatment of Pressure Ulcers: Clinical Practice Guidelines. These guidelines draw […]

Person Centered Success
It’s cold and snowy outside. It’s lunchtime, and I just ate a bowl of homemade lentil soup accompanied by a hunk of fresh bread and a glass of iced tea. It was yummy and chocked full of vitamins, minerals, and fiber. How much? Don’t know, don’t care . . . but then I have that […]
Dining Services & Nutrition Trends for 2013
My crystal ball is in the shop for repairs, so my predictions of 2013 food trends for long-term care Dining & Nutrition Services may be a little off kilter. Person Centered Care Those Pioneers certainly started something big more than a decade ago. Personal choice, with the full backing of CMS, will continue to make […]

Disposable Gloves Overused in Food Service
Bravo to the state of Oregon in their recent decision to discontinue the use of disposable gloves in food service operations!! Hopefully it is just a matter of time for the remaining States to follow suit. Gloves have got to be one of the most misused commodities in the food service industry. They provide a […]
The New Dining Practice Standards Impacting Long Term Care
Hot off the press. DHCC Connections has published an article that Linda Handy, MS, RD and I co-authored about the Pioneer Network’s New Dining Practice Standards. Enjoy! The New Dining Practice Standards Impacting Long Term Care Linda Roberts
Provider Tax and Medicaid Reimbursement for Therapeutic Diets in Illinois
In 46 states there are laws mandating health care providers such as hospitals and nursing homes pay a provider tax to assist with the care of Medicaid recipients. So as not to put an unfair burden upon the states in the care of their indigent citizens the Federal government matches Medicaid dollars generated by the […]

Quarterly Nutrition Assessment
An administrator called me last week and asked, “What’s the purpose of the quarterly nutrition assessment? Corporate just sent me a 13-page quarterly nutrition assessment. Is that really necessary?” F276 Quarterly Review states the resident’s assessment is updated at least quarterly. Keep in mind CMS’ idea of assessment is the MDS, not the assessment piece […]
The Myth Surrounding Food Intake Records
A battered three-ring binder located near the dining room holds a form, one for each resident. On each piece of paper is a printed grid designed for the documentation of percent food consumed at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. A variation of this form can be found in almost every nursing home in the US. It […]

Nursing Home Gardens OK
CMS recently released Guidance for Nursing Home Gardens CMS states, “residents can benefit from having a variety of fresh foods for their consumption.” The facility should follow safe food handling practices once the food is harvested and brought into the kitchen for preparation. Nursing home gardens are compliant with F371 Sanitary Conditions as long as […]
The New Dining Practice Standards
The New Dining Practice Standards were released September 7! Pioneer Network in conjunction with CMS convened the Food & Dining Clinical Standards Task Force. The event brought together professionals from multiple clinical disciplines including ADA, AMDA, NADONA, ASHA, AOTA, etc to discuss and agree upon dining practice standards supporting person centered care and culture change values. […]