Dining room vent.

Published

Specializes in LTC.

Dietary staff has been cut in my facility and it is SHOWING! The food is cold, the residents aren't happy and who do they complain to.. us.

"Honey this soup is ice cold. The meatloaf tastes like paper. And I didn't get any dessert."

I tell them, "Thats because I didn't cook tonight."

My main vent is that the dietician wants the TV off during dinner. So last night the TV was on and we were passing the food out. I get told by the cook, "The TV has to be turned off during dinner." The residents sitting by the TV wanted it on and you could just imagine the looks I got when I had to tell them I had to turn it off. I just don't get it. The residents sitting by the TV are perfectly capable of making their own decisions, have no issues with not eating/losing weight, and if this is their home, and everything according to the powers that be needs to be centered around them.. then there's just nothing wrong with having the TV on.

End vent.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ER/ICU/STICU.

I agree, if they want the TV they get the TV on. I'd tell the cook that with all due respect it is none of his business if the TV is on or not.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Student VN | Critical Care.

Totally agreed

tell the dietitian to shut it lol :)

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in PICU, NICU, L&D, Public Health, Hospice.

Forward the complaints about cold food, etc to administration. Tell the dietician it is not his/her job to decide if your adult patients may watch tv during dinner. Do you work in a prison or in LTC? Geesh.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in LTC.
Forward the complaints about cold food, etc to administration. Tell the dietician it is not his/her job to decide if your adult patients may watch tv during dinner. Do you work in a prison or in LTC? Geesh.

I think even in jail they have the TV on during dinner. (Wouldn't know lol)

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in LTC, Disease Management, smoking Cessati.

Some people get a little bit of authority and it goes to their heads.... turn the TV on dare the Cook to come turn it off and let the residents yell at them... it is their home... the cook prolly read an obscure article somewhere and thought "Oh we can do that".... blah... I'm surprised the residents haven't revolted already... hang in there.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in LTC.

He said the dietician created that bright idea. I was fuming. We were in the middle of passing trays to 60 residents. So I had to stop what I was doing.. turn the TV off. get burned. I went back up to the cook and said "Next time.. she can come in here and turn the TV off. I'm not doing it."

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Gerontology, Med surg, Home Health.

In many buildings, the TV is turned off so the staff doesn't watch IT instead of interacting with the residents they are feeding. Certainly if the residents are alert and oriented they should be able to decide if they want the TV on during their meal.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Ahhhhh the TV fights. Where I work some residents want it on, some want if off. Mrs Jones wants to watch the news, Mrs Brown hates the news, Mr Smith wants the volume at maximum, Joe can't stand all the noise. It never ends. There have almost been stand up fights at times lol, I'd be glad to see the TVs removed.

On a side note, our food is usually very good but unless the soup was meant to be cold, we'd be in trouble for allowing it to be served when not the correct temperature.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Gerontology, nursing education.

This is a residents' rights issue. Alert and oriented residents should have the right to decide if they want TV on when they're eating, what TV shows they want to watch, and whether or not they want to interact with others during mealtime. For residents with cognitive impairments, TV during meals may be distracting and distressing (especially programs like the news). But for those who have no such impairments, they have the right to watch TV during meals if they so choose.

Oh, and I think residents have the right to edible food.

Maybe this would be best addressed at a meeting of the residents council...

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Food quality and temperature is something that a facility can get dinged for during a state survey. A lot of times it'll be the first place they look, and if there are other issues they want to address but can't get a handle on they will ding dietary to death.

So if this is a problem, administration needs to get on top of it or risk the wrath of State -- residents can also log a complaint with State through the ombudsman program, or any other of a multitude of ways.

Dietician needs to focus less on what residents are doing while they are eating and pay more attention to what they are eating when they are eating.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in cardiac-telemetry, hospice, ICU.

If the food is really that poor, the TV might be a welcome distraction.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion