La. Admin. Code tit. 48 § I-9820

Current through Register Vol. 50, No. 9, September 20, 2024

Section I-9820 - Feeding Assistants

A. Prior to assisting nursing facility residents with feeding, the assistant must have successfully completed the state-approved training course published by the American Health Care Association, Assisted Dining: The Role and Skills of Feeding Assistants.

1. Licensed personnel qualified to teach the course include:

a. registered nurses;

b. licensed practical nurses;

c. dieticians; and

d. speech therapists.

2. The competency of feeding assistants must be evaluated by course instructors and supervisory nurses.

3. If feeding assistants transfer between facilities, the receiving facility must assure competency.

B. Feeding assistants must be registered on the Direct Service Worker Registry (DSW) unless they are volunteers.

1. Volunteers must complete the training course except in cases where a family member or significant other is feeding the resident.

2. If verification of completion of training cannot be obtained from the DSW Registry, the training course must be taken.

C. The clinical decision as to which residents are fed by a feeding assistant must be made by a registered nurse (RN) or licensed practical nurse (LPN). It must be based upon the individual nurse's assessment and the resident's latest assessment and plan of care.

1. A physician or speech therapist may override the nurse's decision, if in their professional opinion, it would be contraindicated.

D. The use of a feeding assistant must be noted on the plan of care.

E. There must be documentation to show that the residents approved to be fed by feeding assistants have no complicated feeding problems.

1. Feeding assistants may not feed residents who have complicated feeding problems such as difficulty swallowing, recurrent lung aspirations and tube or IV feedings.

F. There must be documentation of on-going assessment by nursing staff to assure that any complications that develop are identified and addressed promptly.

G. A feeding assistant must work under the supervision of a RN or LPN and the resident's clinical record must contain entries made by the supervisory RN or LPN describing services provided by the feeding assistant.

H. Facilities may use feeding assistants at mealtimes or snack times, whenever the facility can provide the necessary supervision.

1. A feeding assistant may feed residents in the dining room or another congregate area.

I. Facilities may use their existing staff to feed residents as long as each staff member successfully completes the state-approved training course.

J. Facilities must maintain a record of all individuals used as feeding assistants who have successfully completed the training course.

K. Residents have the right to refuse to be fed by a feeding assistant.

La. Admin. Code tit. 48, § I-9820

Promulgated by the Department of Health and Hospitals, Office of the Secretary, Bureau of Health Services Financing, LR 32:1067 (June 2006).

AUTHORITY NOTE: Promulgated in accordance with R.S. 36:254 and 40:2009.1-2116.4.