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MDS 3.0 has created new demands for close communication between nursing home activity staff and dietary staff. Section F Daily and Activity Preferences was specifically designed to encourage open-ended conversations between staff and residents. It was also designed to put more "Resident Voice" into resident care plans and to encourage more participation in the principles of person-directed care in the national movement called Culture Change.
Recreation or activity professionals typically complete the resident interview for MDS Section F. Within section F there are sixteen questions regarding daily and activity preferences. The care team must incorporate each resident's answers and preferences into plans for care.
Snack Preferences
One important question within Section F that each resident is asked is,
- "How important is it for you to have snacks available between meals?"
A resident may respond that this is somewhat or very important. Or, a resident may respond that this is not very important, not important at all, or that it is important, but they cannot have snacks or do not have that choice. If a resident answers "Somewhat" or "Very important", it follows logically that someone would likely ask the next follow-up questions.
- "What do you MOST like to snack on?"
- "Is there a time of day that you like to have this snack?"
After these questions are asked there needs to be a way for this information to be communicated to the entire care team.
Assessing and Recording Snack Preferences
An activity director may record these answers onto an activity assessment, a worksheet, or directly into the MDS 3.0 computer software system. Documentation procedures differ in each care center. We must then consider how the registered dietitian or the dietary manager conveniently accesses this interview information. And then we need to consider how this information is incorporated into the care plan.
In some nursing facilities, staff huddles, care conferences, and MDS 3.0 software help staff teams to access cross-discipline information. Many care centers however are turning to some informal documentation and communication tools. A "3 Part Preference Communication Page" is just one example.
3 Part Preference Communication Page
A "3-Part Preference Communication Page" can help to convey to the other care staff disciplines the specific resident preferences from Section F. To view a FREE sample of a page that has helped some staff teams, follow this link. After completing the Section F interview with a resident, the activity staff completes this page. They trim off and pass sections of the page to the appropriate department or discipline. The daily care preferences might be entered into the nursing flow sheet records or this page might be directed to the nurse supervisor. The snack preferences portion of the page could be directed to the registered dietitian or the dietary manager. The activity preferences can help all of the activity assistants and volunteers know specific activity preferences. This form allows preference information to be passed along quickly and simply for each department's attention and follow-up. | 
