Nursing Home Snacks

[TheCommuter]

What sorts of snacks are offered to the residents at the various facilities where you all work?

My current workplace offers peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, pimento and cheese sandwiches, cheese and mayonnaise sandwiches, ham and cheese sandwiches, graham crackers, bananas, yogurt, orange juice, apple juice, cranberry juice, and water.

I worked at a smaller hole-in-the-wall facility that offered potato chips, oreo cookies, milk, shakes, juice, and the occasional sandwiches.

[lovingtheunloved, ASN, RN]

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.

i think you misinterpreted mine as well. i made no reference to "juice crystals" and my point had nothing to do with juice. my general point was that i don't think we should be too concerned with "healthy" eating in the old folks home. more power to the sugar. i meant no disrespect.

[smk1, LPN]

I can't get over the pimento and cheese requests...not to mention the mayonaise and cheese sandwiches. Where's that vomit icon....

[lovingtheunloved, ASN, RN]

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!

We had a similar problem, so we got a toaster and stuck it at the nurses' station. Since the pb&j is ever popular, we also have the supplies on hand for that. So we don't have to pull the dietary staff from their cigarettes.

[Jolie, BSN]

When I was pregnant with my oldest, I was in the hospital for 3 weeks on bed rest and MgSO4 therapy, which completely saps one's energy and appetite. There was quite a bit of concern over my weight loss, as I simply couldn't FORCE myself to eat. My family brought in meals from home, which didn't help much. And the hospital snacks were dreadful: canned fruit cocktail in the morning, and plain graham crackers at night. It never varied. After awhile, a wonderful nurse started going to the kitchen at night and raiding sweets: ice cream bars, cake, etc. It was like a breath of fresh air to be able to eat the same kind of snacks I loved at home, and while it wasn't healthy, it was better than nothing, which was the only alternative.

My aunt's nursing home is similarly unimaginative with their snacks. I have suggested muffins, fresh-baked cookies or pie ala mode, milk shakes, root beer floats, chips and lemonade, etc. to no avail. I strongly suspect that they're just too cheap. I send in Snickers bars by the case, and she has one every day.

[Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN]

We had a similar problem, so we got a toaster and stuck it at the nurses' station. Since the pb&j is ever popular, we also have the supplies on hand for that. So we don't have to pull the dietary staff from their cigarettes.

The toaster isn't a safey hazard?

[mvanz9999, RN]

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

I actually enjoy pimento and cheese sandwiches. I don't eat them any longer because they aren't healthy.

I would eat cheese and mayonaisse as long as it was real mayo and not miracle whip.

I think nurse_clown's point was that the residents are asking for A and getting B. They WANT real juice and are given juice crystals instead. They are paying (well...someone's paying) to be in LTC. They should, within reason, get what they asked for. Sure, they have one foot in the grave - if they want sugar and fats, let them have it. In the same mode of thought, if they want real juice, not juice crystals, for goodness sake, let them have it.

When I'm 89 and in a LTC facility, I want all the sugar crap in addition to REAL JUICE.

[Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN]

I actually enjoy pimento and cheese sandwiches.

Oh i looooove pimento cheese, Grandma did too, which is how i got started on it.

I think the overall point that a lot of people here are trying to make is that variety should be available, juices, sodes or food, and not "you're getting plain graham crackers and you're gonna like it".

[luvmy2angels]

We offer the usual variety of juices, along with caffiene free cola and ginger ale, graham crackers with peanut putter, oreos, fig newtons, milk shakes, ice cream or fruit, fresh baked cookies or cake (if not diabetic), yogurt, cereal...you name it and we probably have it.

[lovingtheunloved, ASN, RN]

The toaster isn't a safey hazard?

We keep it behind the nurses' station, which is closed off so the residents can't get back there. We have a microwave too.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

I can't get over the pimento and cheese requests...not to mention the mayonaise and cheese sandwiches. Where's that vomit icon....

While I think of mayonnaise sandwiches as disgusting, I'll readily admit that I believe pimento and cheese sandwiches are quite tasty.

[hogan4736, BSN, RN]

We offer the usual variety of juices, along with caffiene free cola and ginger ale, graham crackers with peanut putter, oreos, fig newtons, milk shakes, ice cream or fruit, fresh baked cookies or cake (if not diabetic), yogurt, cereal...you name it and we probably have it.

a little OT, but at my LTC (specifically the SNF), there were no differences between diabetic food and non diabetic food...everybody received meals and snacks loaded w/ complex carbs, sugars, starches, etc...no wonder their sugars cruised at around 250-300

[CapeCodMermaid, RN]

While I think of mayonnaise sandwiches as disgusting, I'll readily admit that I believe pimento and cheese sandwiches are quite tasty.

It's the CHEESE that makes the mayonaisse and cheese sandwiches disgusting. Doesn't the cheese slide out of the bread? Plain mayonaisse is much better! I think they should all eat what they want.