Caregiver's Perspective

Many thanks to JK for sharing her experience as a caregiver:

“I was the main support and caregiver to my husband who was unfortunate enough to be in three different hospital settings over the course of a 3-month period.  His health declined in that period of time as did his degree of frailty.  Among many concerns that I, as his wife and caregiver, noticed was a substantial difference in the attention to his nutritional needs at each hospital. In only one setting, he did receive an assessment by a dietitian. In this same hospital, the food staff were easy to identify, were nametags, special uniforms and hairnets, and were well versed with respect to my husband's diagnoses and how these related to his nutritional needs. They guided him in his daily selection of menu items and were also interested in making suggestions about good food choices at home at the time of his discharge. 

In stark contrast, another hospital provided him with items that were unhealthy (Gingerale with a high sugar content and food items counter-indicated to his medication) and ignored his requests for supplement drinks. His food tray sometimes went missing or wasn't ordered at all. Food staff were not easy to approach and nurses managed the issues when food went missing.  I eventually chose to provide his meals, but was given limited access to the ward's kitchen for use of the sink and microwave. In the final and third setting, his level of health was such that he was unable to eat much. His medications caused a dry mouth and he therefore craved ice or cold food items. The food at this setting was well prepared and substantial in portion size yet not consistent with his needs. A fully equipped kitchen was available for patient and family members with certain food items available as well, unfortunately contrary to the health and safety codes. Despite the good meal preparations, they were not always in keeping with his medical diagnoses.” 

Submitted with permission of JK (a family caregiver 

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