Restorative Programs: Dining and Feeding for the CNA

Course overview

While the primary purpose of eating is to provide our bodies with essential nutrients that improve overall health, eating also serves a sociocultural role and is a source of joy, comfort, and pleasure for many. Because the ability to eat independently is one of the most basic of skills learned at an early age, a decrease in this ability can lead to feeling a loss of control, independence, and self-worth. It can also negatively affect residents nutritional status. It is important to promote residents ability to feed themselves as independently as possible by utilizing restorative nursing programs. While you may not be the one actively helping residents eat, you are responsible for overseeing restorative programs that address eating and, thus, will benefit from this course. The goal of this course is to provide direct care workers in long-term care settings with the fundamentals of restorative eating programs.