Does anyone else see a problem with this policy?

[Spritenurse1210, BSN, RN]

The facility i work at for the agency, just did away with diabetic diets. now all they have are pureed, regular and mechanical soft diets. I know some of you almost fell out of your chair after reading this post. Any thoughts/suggestions

[Altra, BSN, RN]

Are all the meals (for each of those diet variations) now carb-controlled?

[EmmaG, RN]

Do they have carb controlled diets? The last place I worked did not have [whatever calorie] ADA diets. They instead followed a prescribed amount of carbs.

[NursingAgainstdaOdds]

Has the overall "regular" diet been made healthy enough to qualify?

Is that a stupid question? Just seems to me it could be possible if, for example, they were incorporating more fruits/veggies and whole foods and eschewing processed items.

[purple_rose_3]

Yall don't have cardiac diets?

[Inquisitive one]

What you are describing are diet textures not a specific diet in relation to a disease. At my facility we have the same textures but also have a second part that will indicate a therapeutic diet if indicated. For example, a diet for Mrs. Jones might be Regular, low fat-low cholesterol-no salt packet. The regular is the texture, the rest, the therapeutic diet ordered by the MD. If a resident has no restrictions their diet would read, Regular - House. So, a diet usually has 2 parts: texture and restrictions. Hope this helps.

[RNsRWe, ASN, RN]

Not seeing this as a good thing.

In addition to ADA diets, I'd expect to see cardiac diets too....or is salt a free-for-all with your administration??

[fultzymom]

I work in a LTC facility and they are trying to do away with the diabetic diets. Their philosophy is that these people should be able to eat whatever they would like to and we can just correct them with insulin. We are going round and round about this. The diet tech and the administrator are on the same page and it is the nursing staff vs. them. We can not seem to get them to understand that yes you can correct with insulin but it is still not good for you to keep yo-yo-ing like that. We are changing to everything resident centerd. He wants to de-instutionalize our whole facility. In the mean time, docs can't figure out why suddenly the patients glucose is out of control and we have had to increase insulin doses et the sliding scale orders.

[Inquisitive one]

http://www.extendedcarenews.com/article/5491

Here's an interesting link regarding diabetic diets in long term care.

[classicdame, MSN, EdD]

Some diabetics are taking rapid acting insulin that requires close calculation of carbs with that meal. I cannot see how the facility could eliminate diabetic, cardiac, renal, low/no salt------------

Geez louise.

[NursingAgainstdaOdds]

In the mean time, docs can't figure out why suddenly the patients glucose is out of control and we have had to increase insulin doses et the sliding scale orders.

I'd be documenting the hell out of a change in the type of foods available and the fact that the resident chooses certain things. If they won't listen to nursing staff ('cause God knows we're not qualified to make that assessment, eh?), maybe they'd listen to the medical director.

[CHATSDALE]

my pcp once said that the amer dietbetic assn diet would be an intelligent diet was a good overall diet for most people and that he recommended having a separate diet for the dm member of the family