Standardized Feeding Assistant Curriculum Wisconsin

Back to Wisconsin Feeding Assistant Program - Introduction

A free copy of the selected curriculum will be sent to the feeding assistant training program coordinator as part of the Feeding Assistant Training Program Approval Process.

1. Assisted Dining: The Role and Skills of Feeding Assistants, by Bonnie Walker, Ph.D., and Claire S. Cole, MA, RN, C., American Health Care Association publication ( exit DHS)

Description: The 97-page, manual, is written in full text and is very easy to understand. It provides an overview of the federal requirements, and is designed for any individual who will be feeding residents in a long term care facility.

Each topic introduces new information and vocabulary words and learning objectives. Training topics include:

• What is a Feeding Assistant
• Nutrition and Hydration
• Feeding Techniques
• Appropriate Responses to Resident Behavior
• Feeding Residents with Dementia
• Responding to Emergencies
• Infection Control
• Communication and Interpersonal Skills
• Resident Rights.

The manual includes black and white pictures and a quiz at the end of each chapter.

2. Assisting with Nutrition and Hydration in Long-Term Care.  Hartman Publishing, Inc. (exit DHS)

Description:  The 97-page, manual, is written in full text and provides:

• The Feeding Assistant
• Residents' Rights
• Communication and Interpersonal Skills
• Infection Control
• Proper Nutrition and Hydration
• Feeding Techniques
• Safety and Emergency Care
• Assisting Residents with Dementia
• Observing and Reporting Changes in Residents

3. Eating Matters - A Training Manual for Feeding Assistants, an American Dietetic Association publication (exit DHS)

Description: The 64-page, user-friendly instructional manual is written in full text and provides:

• An overview of the federal requirements
• A suggested course outline: Need for Assistance at Meals; Nutritional Needs of Residents; Successful Dining Strategies; Communication and Privacy; and Sanitation and Infection Control.

The manual also includes graphics and pre and post tests.

4. Wisconsin Feeding Assistant Training Program, by the Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services

Description: The 47-page manual was developed by the Division of Quality Assurance, Office of Caregiver Quality, with input provided by the Wisconsin Feeding Assistant Training Program Workgroup.Special thanks go to Three Pillars Health Care Center and Clark County Health Care Center.

The manual is written in outline format , provides a short description of the federal requirements and focuses on Wisconsin's feeding assistant training requirements. Training topics include:

• Responding to Emergencies
• Principles of Infection Control
• Communication and Interpersonal Skills
• Nutrition
• Cognitive Impairment
• Resident Rights
• The Wisconsin Caregiver Law.

The manual provides key terms and numbered graphics for appropriate use throughout the curriculum.

Training programs must select one of the model curriculums listed above to provide feeding assistant students instruction on the federally mandated topics.

Feeding assistant training programs must utilize

• the Department of Health Services, Division of Quality Assurance video, The Wisconsin Caregiver Program: A Blueprint for Excellence

to provide feeding assistant students instruction regarding the requirements of the Caregiver Program. Video helps train caregivers in misconduct reporting. A copy of this video will be provided as part of the Feeding Assistant Training Program Approval Process.

Although the pre-approved standardized training curriculums include additional skill information (e.g., intake and output, special care needs for residents with dysphagia, etc.),

• the instructor must stress that the feeding assistant will not be permitted to perform any other hands-on duty, beyond assisting residents to eat and drink who have no complicated feeding problems.

Last Revised: October 27, 2008