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Date: | Mon, 22 Jun 2009 13:41:51 -0400 |
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<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>
Hello List mates:
I am very sorry for the long delay in summarizing the many responses
to my enquiry from a couple of months ago. (I had misplaced the
summaries that I printed out & only recently discovered them).
My original enquiry was for information asking if nursing homes/
assisted living facilities must accommodate celiacs under the
guidelines of the ADA. My 102 year-old Mother will need to be moved
to an assisted living facility and we are finding many places that
will not consider her because of the celiac diet.
Unfortunately from the many responses I received there appears to be
no clear-cut answer to this problem. The following are helpful
suggestions with my response in brackets:
1. "I am absolutely sure that facilities serving the public need to
accommodate dietary restrictions under disabilities law. I would say
that there need to be cases that are pressed on this issue to
establish case law." [This probably needs to happen but we are not
willing to press this issue with a 102 year-old person].
2. "After choosing a facility ask them if they have had training in
special diets". [We have found that facilities inform us up front
over the phone that they will not consider admitting her because of
the special diet].
3. "Some states have DIAs (Department of Inspections & Appeals that
function under Medicare Rules & Regulations. If a physician has
ordered a gf diet hospitals must provide it". [Don't know if other
facilities are under the same regulations].
4. Check out these websites:
www.ada.gov/reachingout/lesson12.htm
www.ada.gov/mediate.htm
www.itimagazine.com (an excellent article in the December 2008
archive issue) An article written for nursing home administrators by
Ronni Alicea, RD MBA entitled Gluten-Free in Residential Care
Facilities. [I have printed this out & will bring it to one of the
facilities that would not consider taking my Mother].
www.celinalfoods.com [information about single serve shelf stable
microwave gf meals].
www.diet.com/dietblogs/read_blog.php?title=Gluten-Free+Meals+For+The
+Elderly&blid=12797 [An excellent article written by Tricia Thompson
MS/RD].
www.eldercare.gov/Eldercare.NET/Public/Resources/fact_sheets/
assisted_living.aspx
5. "Talk to a lawyer who specializes in Social Security disability
claims & ask for a free consultation". [I have not yet done this].
6. "Businesses are usually only required to provide 'reasonable
accommodation' - which does not mean starting to serve gluten-free
meals to a single customer if that causes a significant increase in
cost or labor to the business".
7. "Contact the Gluten Intolerance Group of North America at
www.gluten.net. They will support you".
8. "The ADA does include allergies in the list of required
accomodations for the general world. This should mean one of two
things, an upswing in GF food being availible and that you can force
accomodation. This may be dangerous to your mother, who might be
punished in some facilities".
9. "Check out the Gluten-Free Resource Education and Awareness
Training (GREAT) program created by The National Foundation for
Celiac Awareness (NFCA). They have developed a program to provide
comprehensive information for food service and healthcare
professionals".
10. "Contact Andrea Levario of the American Celiac Disease Alliance
and she if she can help". [I did make contact and never got a
response].
In closing I'd like to quote from another person who said: "This is
work that needs to be undertaken. All of us will be there one day and
these facilities need to be forced to step up to the plate. Once they
understand that they have to do this and that it can be done
relatively easily, the job will be done". [I couldn't agree more!]
Mary in NH
Visit the Celiac Web Page at Http://www.enabling.org/ia/celiac/index.html
Archives are at: Http://Listserv.icors.org/SCRIPTS/WA-ICORS.EXE?LIST=CELIAC
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