Section 129.16. Feeding assistant employment requirements.

 

(1)  A nursing home may not employ or use any person as a feeding assistant unless the person is at least 16 years of age and has:

(a) Successfully passed a caregiver background check, that includes no employment or licensure-prohibitive offenses in s. 146.40 (4r) , Stats., or s. 48.685 , Stats.

(b) Successfully completed a feeding assistant training and competency evaluation program and been determined competent to provide feeding and hydration services to residents.

(2)  Nursing homes shall ensure feeding assistants only serve residents who have no complicated feeding problems with eating and hydration.

(3)  Residents with complicated feeding problems, as defined in s. DHS 129.03 (10) shall be fed and hydrated by either a licensed health care professional or a nurse aide.

(4)  The facility shall base their resident selection for feeding assistants based on the charge nurse's assessment and each resident's latest assessment and plan of care.

(5)  Feeding assistants who are 16 or 17 years of age shall work under the direct supervision of an RN or LPN.

(6)  Feeding assistants 18 years and older shall work under the general supervision of an RN, or an LPN. The feeding assistant is not permitted to perform other nursing or nursing-related duties including, but not limited to, measuring or recording intake or output, transferring, or toileting, etc.

(7)  A nursing home may not employ or use any individual who has successfully completed a feeding assistant training and competency evaluation program as a feeding assistant unless that nursing home has a department-approved feeding assistant training program.

CR 08-042 : cr. register November 2008 No. 635, eff. 12-1-08.