When your loved one begins to need help with daily life, you want to do all that you can to make his life easier and more comfortable. But, just because they need help with some things throughout the day does not mean they need to live in a nursing home. Uprooting them can be traumatic, and they can feel violated and resentful. There are many levels of needing care before one should consider a nursing home, especially with the many kinds of care offered by multi-service caregiver agencies like Right At Home. The Tacoma, Washington, Right At Home’s president, Dale Anderson, explains one of the more basic levels of care they offer — meal preparation.
There are two reasons your loved one may need help preparing meals, and the presence of one or both of these reasons is enough of a call for a caregiver. The first reason is they may simply not be able to get around and handle grocery shopping, cooking, cleaning up, and all the tasks that come with meal preparation. The second reason is that they may have some sort of medical condition that requires certain dietary needs. A professional caregiver tends to any or all of these needs, either as its own service if your loved one only needs help with meal preparation, or as part of a greater service if it’s just one of the things needed.
If meal preparation is the only service needed, an agency like Right At Home would assign a CNA, or certified nursing assistant, to your loved one. This is because no specific medical services are being performed, so a licensed practical nurse (LPN) or registered nurse (RN) is not necessary. A CNA can come and perform the types of services associated with meal preparation, but also has the training to assist and care for your loved one in a case of need or emergency. More specifically, the caregiver is carefully trained for this meal preparation service, so there is virtually nothing they cannot do for your loved one.
Meal preparation can also be performed by an LPN or RN, as well, when it is one of several services being performed, or the specific dietary needs are extremely sensitive and medically oriented. For example, if your loved one needs 24-hour care from an RN, meal preparation is obviously one of the tasks performed throughout the course of the day. Also, your family member could need to eat certain things at certain times of the day, take in certain nutrients, or avoid certain ingredients. While all levels of caregivers handle this sort of preparation, an LPN or RN is an expert even in more advanced circumstances.
Within the blanket service of meal preparation are a few tasks. Your family member’s caregiver will perform the grocery shopping, especially in instances where your loved one has limited or no driving ability. This could be as simple as supplying your loved one’s home with food he or she likes to eat and what is good for them, but it could also involve dietary planning – another aspect of meal preparation in itself. Your caregiver will work to be a sort of dietician and nutritionist in one. He will structure a diet that is healthy and beneficial. He will consult with your loved one to make sure everything is understood and he is happy with this plan.
Meal preparation also involves cooking, of course. The caregiver will take time and prepare a healthy meal that your loved one will enjoy eating. From there, the caregiver will maintain the dietary duties by monitoring how the diet is affecting the patient. He will see if everything is working well and providing the right nutrients or if changes need to be made.
The information in the article is not intended to substitute for the medical expertise and advice of your healthcare provider. We encourage you to discuss any decisions about treatment or care with an appropriate healthcare provider.
