September 25,2003

Grassley on New Rule Allowing Less Training for Nursing Home Feeding Aides

M E M O R A N D U M

To: Reporters and editors
Re: new rule allowing less training for nursing home feeding assistants
Da: Thursday, Sept. 25, 2003

The following comment is from Sen. Chuck Grassley, chairman of the Committee onFinance, on a near-final federal rule allowing a new category of low-paid, little-trained workers tofeed nursing home residents.

“If quality of care is the top priority for nursing homes, then feeding residents shouldcontinue to be a skilled staffers’ responsibility. Malnutrition and dehydration are chronic nursinghome problems. The last thing nursing home residents need is less care by skilled nursing staff. Andthe experts say feeding the elderly isn’t easy. The very elderly can have trouble swallowing, forexample. It takes time and skill to feed them right. I’ll continue to do everything I can to make surethat the recent federal windfall for nursing homes is used for direct care to nursing home residents.”