Can I demand that a nursing home feed my mother a certain diet and give her vitamins provided by me?
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Can I demand that a nursing home feed my mother a certain diet and give her vitamins provided by me?
My mother has a type 2 diabetes and was recently admited to a care center. In visiting her I’ve found the food she is eating is full of refined sugars and high in carbs which is very bad for her. I’ve been using specific nutritional supplements and a low carb diet to help her diabetes and Alzheimer’s. She is in the home because she became unable to stand due to a urinary tract infection and we are unable to lift her because of her weight 212-230 lbs. I talked to the head nurse about her diet and supplements and she said I have to wait until next week for the doctor and nutritionist to get back to me. Can they stop me from giving her vitamins myself?
Asked on June 3, 2011 under Malpractice Law, Utah
Answers:
M.T.G., Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 12 years ago | Contributor
Are you your Mother's health care proxy? Are you her Power of Attorney? Or conservator? If you are not then I would strongly consider becoming her conservator at this point in time and very quickly. If you already have all the documents in place then I would without a doubt making the biggest ruckus you can to have the doctor and nutritionist contact you ASAP. If she is a diabetic and they are feeding her sugars that could really kill he then I would state that to them point blank. Call the social worker at the facility and the head of the nursing staff asap. You really can not give her the supplements yourself as technically she is under the care of a doctor. Everything need to be properly documented in her chart. But please, act now. Good luck.
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