Page 64 - The Deep Seated Issue of Choice

THE DEEP SEATED ISSUE OF CHOICE
WHAT MAKES NEW IDEAS DIFFICULT?
director’s role as an active advocate for resident rights with physicians, administration, and staff, and for resident quality of life in addition to quality of care from a medical
perspective.
Recommendation: Organizations attempt to retain a certified medical director, or one actively seeking certification or one willing to complete ongoing continuing education on
resident rights and quality of life and act as an active advocate for resident choice.
Recommendation: Each profession serving elders in long-term care develop and disseminate standards of practice for their professional accountability that addresses proper training, competency assessment, and their role as an active advocate for resident rights, and for resident quality of life from a wellness perspective in addition to quality of care from a medical perspective with guidance and financial assistance coordinated
through the Pioneer Network.
Recommendation: National workgroup of ADA, CDR and DMA address all previous recommendations and define the role and accountability of each nutrition professional in advocacy and accountability for honoring residents’ rights, recognizing that quality time with residents is essential for the development of the relationships that form the
foundation for individualized resident-directed dining.
Recommendation: National workgroup develop and disseminate recommendations for in-service training of current staff to introduce the evolving practices in resident-directed,
individualized care.
Recommendation: Professional ombudsman component of the long-term care ombudsman program expansion, both in numbers and in level of involvement at a facility level sufficient to provide close and continuing contact with residents, families and facilities, educating and advocating for resident rights and quality of life through culture change and to expand their availability for involvement in care planning on issues of
resident rights and quality of life.
OBRA ‘87 SUPPORTS CULTURE CHANGE – RELATED AGENCY GUIDANCE CAN BE A BARRIER
Incorporation of the Food Code 2009 into regulation through the interpretive guidelines presents challenges in creating home for residents. While the implementation of priority, priority foundation and core items in quantity food preparation and in staff preparation of food for residents is, for the most part, manageable, the interface of the Food Code with resident life threatens to negatively impact resident quality of life with the application of “practical, science- based guidance and manageable, enforceable provisions for mitigating known risks of food- borne illness.” According to Sundlof, director of the Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, “The FDA is spearheading an important initiative to improve the nation’s food safety system by establishing a fully integrated national system with federal,
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