Question for RNs and LPNs. I was told today by representatives of a private duty home care company that pureeing food for a client is considered skilled nursing and can only done by someone qualified as such. Any input on this? I asked a relative about this but was confused at the time and can't recall her answer!
Sounds to me like one of those unintended consequences of well-intentioned guidelines. In a similar way, only nurses or SLTs who had done the specific training were allowed to assess swallowing reflexes in stroke patients in our local hospital. The upshot - apart from my turning into a gremlin and biting metaphorical chunks off people - was that my mother lay on a a specialist stroke ward for seven hours without water because none of the many nurses and doctors present were "qualified" to assess her swallow reflex. Of course they were bloody qualified! - just not on the right list.
What about if you purée the food yourself, put it in sealed containers in the fridge, and ask the HCAs to warm it through in the microwave?
I've seen regular caregivers take a jar of thickener and pour unmeasured into a glass of juice
I would think if meal prep is part of the service then putting it into a blender shouldn't be an issue - if so can you purée ahead of time so they are merely heating up in the microwave ?
Duck, this is the first I've ever heard of it as well.
The explanation was, more or less, that since it was related to dysphagia, it was an issue for a nurse to handle.
I wasn't asking for speech therapy, or swallowing exercises, just to puree foods. They explained their caregivers would feed clients (we don't need that) but could not puree the foods.
The more I thought about it, it really seemed odd to me. If it's true, then it would seem that kitchen staff in rehab or any other facility couldn't puree the food either, and I know that the rehab facility where Dad stayed didn't have nurses pureeing the food.
I'm still at a loss as to what's behind the claim.
Thanks for your input; I wish I'd had the presence of mind to ask the basis for their conclusion. If I speak with them again, I will ask.
My curiosity is piqued.
Did you ask the agency if this is so and why?