Nursing Home Snacks

dekatn · Oct 13, 2006

Our residents are offered milk, bologna sandwiches, pimento sandwiches, sherbert, ice cream, juice, water, bananas, magic cups,(a thick pudding like ice cream cup), applesauce and puddings. The only problem is, we have to chart whether they actually eat these things. They eat breakfast at 7:30 or 8 a.m., snacks are served at 10 a.m., lunch is at 12:30 or so, snacks again at 2p. half the time the residents are still full from the meal and refuse to eat the snacks, then staff gets in trouble because we have all these snacks left over, it's a vicious circle.

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Oct 13, 2006

half the time the residents are still full from the meal and refuse to eat the snacks, then staff gets in trouble because we have all these snacks left over, it's a vicious circle.

The HS snacks (bedtime) are the only ones that completely disappear at the facility where I am employed, most likely because the residents have not had anything to eat in 3 to 4 hours.

CapeCodMermaid, RN · Oct 14, 2006

Cheese and Mayonaisse sandwiches??? yuckies. We have muffins for morning snack, peanut butter crackers or cheetos for afternoon snack, and graham crackers and milk for HS snack....always a problem getting the snacks handed out at 10 and 2....and HS most of them are already in bed.

TheOneWithGlasses · Oct 14, 2006

Wow, sandwiches? I don't know what the 10am snack is at our facility, but most of the snacks at 3pm and HS are graham crackers or cheese crackers with milk, ice cream or sherbet, or cookies. Sometimes they also offer sliced peaches or some fruit cocktail. A couple of our ladies get coffee or tea, and once in a while someone who's on puree diet and/or thickened liquids will get sent some pudding.

The problem we have is that at 3pm our shift has just started and most of the residents that get snacks were either laid down after lunch and are out cold or have been taken to afternoon activities, so it's hard to get them passed out in a timely fashion. As for the HS snacks, they're delivered so soon after dinner that they get refused like dekatn mentioned. The food storage/walk-in freezer part of the kitchen is locked after the dietary staff leaves for the night (they hightail it out after HS snacks), so if a resident wants something different you have to get the key from the nurse supervisor, which can often be a hassle. I wish they'd leave a few sandwiches or something in the unlocked fridge...of course they'd probably (correctly) assume that staff would eat them.

banditrn · Oct 14, 2006

At nite, we have a bucket of pb sandwiches that I won't give to anyone, because they just sit there for days - then we have an assortment of Little Debbie cakes and cheese and pb crackers.

We only have a couple of them that routinely get up at nite for snacks.

nurse_clown · Oct 14, 2006

i'm glad someone brought that up because i really need to vent about this. mind you, i work the night shift and we don't give out snacks. but i'm really upset with my ltc facility. i thought there was supposed to be standards according to "compliance" and they have standards for our snack cart. things have to be done a certain way and we'll get fined if they aren't. but, now they are serving juice crystals for drinks. i don't know but, i don't think there is anything good coming from juice crystals. i don't even give my own kids juice crystals. they have artificial flavours and sugar! that's all. a lot of the women are suseptable to uti's. i'd prefer to give them real cranberry juice. so, i've been raiding the kitchen for their real cranberry juice. i don't care if i get in trouble or not. i'm thinking of actually refusing to serve juice crystals and cause a big stink about it. of course, juice crystals are probably cheaper but that's not right. i'd prefer that our facility's managers and "higher ups" demand more funding and feed our residents proper food and drinks like the rest of the population.

they give out cookies, muffins and cake for snacks. but, do snacks have to be sweet? why couldn't they serve grapes or other fruit or cheeze or yogurt..... or even prunes or raisins for bowel management? it just doesn't seem right to fill these elderly people full of sugar.

well, thanks for reading my rant and rave. but it bugs me. it really bothers me.

lovingtheunloved, ASN, RN · Oct 14, 2006

i'm glad someone brought that up because i really need to vent about this. mind you, i work the night shift and we don't give out snacks. but i'm really upset with my ltc facility. i thought there was supposed to be standards according to "compliance" and they have standards for our snack cart. things have to be done a certain way and we'll get fined if they aren't. but, now they are serving juice crystals for drinks. i don't know but, i don't think there is anything good coming from juice crystals. i don't even give my own kids juice crystals. they have artificial flavours and sugar! that's all. a lot of the women are suseptable to uti's. i'd prefer to give them real cranberry juice. so, i've been raiding the kitchen for their real cranberry juice. i don't care if i get in trouble or not. i'm thinking of actually refusing to serve juice crystals and cause a big stink about it. of course, juice crystals are probably cheaper but that's not right. i'd prefer that our facility's managers and "higher ups" demand more funding and feed our residents proper food and drinks like the rest of the population.
they give out cookies, muffins and cake for snacks. but, do snacks have to be sweet? why couldn't they serve grapes or other fruit or cheeze or yogurt..... or even prunes or raisins for bowel management? it just doesn't seem right to fill these elderly people full of sugar.

well, thanks for reading my rant and rave. but it bugs me. it really bothers me.

when i'm 84 in the nursing home, i want cookies and cake and chocolate and soda and i'm not going to eat what the staff thinks is "healthy." i've got one foot in the grave, send me out happy. really, their tastebuds have all but deserted them, and the only ones left are the ones that sense sweet. and honestly, unless the residents themselves want healthier foods, what's the harm? they're old. they're in a nursing home. that sucks, no matter how great the facility is. if they want sugar, let 'em have it.

adrienurse, LPN · Oct 14, 2006

I'm generally untrusting of whatever does not have a commercial package just because.....

Know what I find? No matter who they are, whether they have teeth or not -- toast is always the winner.

nurse_clown · Oct 14, 2006

when i'm 84 in the nursing home, i want cookies and cake and chocolate and soda and i'm not going to eat what the staff thinks is "healthy." i've got one foot in the grave, send me out happy. really, their tastebuds have all but deserted them, and the only ones left are the ones that sense sweet. and honestly, unless the residents themselves want healthier foods, what's the harm? they're old. they're in a nursing home. that sucks, no matter how great the facility is. if they want sugar, let 'em have it.

that's fine. when you are in a nursing home then you can request all the sugary snacks you want. that's your choice and it's what long term care calls "resident's rights."

but, unfortunately in the nursing home i work in, the residents do not want the juice crystals. when they are in the dining room, they enjoy the real orange, apple and cranberry juice. the residents and their families do not enjoy the uti's. uti's take a toll on them physically and mentally. when the snack cart comes around, they do not enjoy the juice crystals drinks and when i come on the night shift i am throwing out a lot of wasted juice they don't even touch.

i am an rn and i am very responsible and take my position seriously. i recognize "residents rights" and understand that some people do want sugar. i know that their taste senses have diminished and i don't object to sugar and salt. if that'll get them to eat then, so be it. however, there's only so much i'll stand around and watch happen. if the facility refuses to invest in "real juice" that the residents want and instead purchases a cheap alternative, i consider that wrong. and as a patient advocate, it would be irresponsible of me not to do anything about it.

i have never denied anyone cake, cookies, chocolate or soda. there are a number of residents who request alcohol. we don't deny that. i know they are old. i know they are in a nursing home. i think you have misinterpreted my post big time.

marjoriemac, LPN · Oct 14, 2006

What is a snack? My facility offers nothing outside the regimented tea trolley and meal times. I asked the kitchen for toast for a resident a half hour after breakfast had finished and was told no because they did not have time to run after us? Here was me thinking they were paid to run after the residents, I mean it doesn't take long to stick some toast in a toaster!

Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN · Oct 14, 2006

Cheese and Mayonaisse sandwiches??? yuckies.

This was our second most requested HS snack at one LTC facility i worked at, right after pimento cheese sandwiches.