The nurse is trying to improve the nutritional status of residents in the nursing home. Which recommendations should the nurse implement?

Question

a. Develop a seating chart for the main din-ing room based on the unit to facilitate a more organized and efficient meal deli-very.
b. Replace the fluorescent lighting with can-dles at every table to create a cozy, res-taurant-like atmosphere.
c. Provide nutritious food according to the residents' expressed food preferences with a liberal use of seasonings that do not ex-ceed any sodium restrictions.
d. Distribute "med-pass" nutritional supple-ments.

Answer 1

C
Only nutritious food that is actually eaten can enhance a person's nutritional status. Older adults are more likely to eat food they like, and seasonings can make food more palatable. Developing a seating chart for the main dining room based on the unit to facilitate a more organized and effi-cient meal delivery is not for the benefit of the residents but is an action for the benefit of man-agement and degrades the dignity of the residents. Older adults require greater amounts of light to see; candlelight can be too dim to see adequately. Distributing "med-pass" nutritional supple-ments are costly and often are not dispensed or are not consumed as ordered.