Paid Dining Assistant Program

What is a Paid Dining Assistant?

The Paid Dining Assistant, is an individual who has successfully completed an approved State of Michigan Paid Dining Assistant Training Program, like Michigan Healthcare Academy (MHA). The dining assistant supplements certified nurse aides and licensed nursing staff to assist others in meeting their nutritional requirements. So, in layman’s terms, You help to feed people who either fully cannot feed themselves or struggle to do so.

Who hires a Paid Dining Assistant?

• long-term care facility, i.e., a nursing home or intermediate care facility
•  Agencies and organizations to assist residents who do not have complicated feeding problems but still require assistance with eating and drinking.

How long is the program?

This program can be completed in just one day!

Course Content – During your eight hours of training, you will learn the following skills and techniques:

1. Feeding techniques.
2. Regular and special diets.
3. Reporting food and fluid intake.
4. Assistance with feeding and hydration.
5. Communication and interpersonal skills.
6. Infection control.
7. Safety/emergency procedures including the Heimlich maneuver.
8. Promoting residents’ independence.
9. Abuse, neglect, and misappropriation of property.
10. Nutrition and hydration.
11. Recognizing changes in residents that are inconsistent with their normal behavior and the importance of reporting these changes to the supervising nurse.
12. Mental health and social service needs including how to respond to a resident’s behavior.
13. Residents’ rights including the following:
    1. Promoting residents right to make personal choices to accommodate their needs.
    2. Maintaining care and security of residents’ personal possessions