The "Nutrition Education for Group Homes" Project

Includes bibliographical references (pages 104-107)Information regarding .nutrition practices in Group Home settings is limited.\ud The 'Nutrition Education for Group Homes' Project's objectives were to identify\ud the most frequently occurring .nutrition and meal management problems\ud experienced by staff and clients in Group Homes and to develop an educational\ud modality to diminish these related problems.\ud Thirty-two of 108 Group Homes for six, or fewer, developmentally disabled\ud clients became part of the Project. A two-hour interview in the Home collected\ud data about (1 )food intake of staff and clients, (2) diet history of clients and (3)\ud household practices related to meal plM.ni.ng and food preparation. A profile of\ud the Homes' educational needs was formulated and appropriate nutrition and\ud meal management materials, alo.ng with the diet and me.nu evaluations, were\ud mailed to the staff.\ud Results indicated that the following nutrition topics were priorities for\ud educational instruction: Weight maintenance; medications and diet; nutrition\ud and clinical condition; information regarding food and nutrition practices; and\ud clients' physical eating difficulties. These meal management topics were\ud priorities for instruction: Information on planning meals (e.g., sample menus\ud for nutritional adequacy, ideas for increasing fruit and vegetable\ud consumption); increasing client involvement in meal preparation (e.g.,\ud increasing clients' cooking skills, pictorial food technique training manuals);\ud and general information on food sanitation and storage. Based on the\ud information obtained during the Project, five goals were suggested for all staff\ud to achieve in the future.\ud The staff who responded to an evaluation of the Project's effectiveness were\ud appreciative of the 'NEGH' Project and educational materials