Pros and cons of using paid feeding assistants in nursing homes

Recently the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), citing increasing resident acuity, staffing shortages, and high turnover rates that make it difficult for nursing homes to provide adequate feeding assistance to residents who need minimal help at mealtimes, began allowing nursing facilities to use single-task workers to provide assistance during mealtimes. This article describes the use of single-task workers to provide feeding assistance to nutritionally at-risk residents during a 6-month clinical study designed to evaluate the effectiveness and feasibility of implementing a buffet-dining program in an academic long-term care facility.