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In asking whether any legislation requires nursing homes to provide
adequately for residents with celiac disease, Ann Maureen Surra has raised
an issue that probably concerns many of us. However, I suspect that
legislation such as the Americans with Disabilities Act, even if
applicable, won't help much when people cannot constantly monitor their own
care or have an advocate who does this for them.

As most of us have learned the hard way, we eat (and take drugs) most
safely when we can communicate directly and repeatedly with knowledgeable
people who care about serving us, and who can do so without having key
information lost or garbled in a complex system. Given what can happen with
airline meals or in hospitals, the prospect of what could happen in a
nursing home is, as Ann Maureen suggests, terrifying.

Perhaps one activity the local support groups could start organizing would
be a system of advocates for celiacs who live in nursing homes and have no
relatives nearby to monitor their diets and raise hell as needed. Having a
knowledgeable celiac available to visit nursing home residents and review
menus with the dietitian and staff might help. Has any group tried to do
this? If so, how has it worked?

Nancy Ewald Jackson, Ph.D.
Professor, Educational Psychology
College of Education, 361 Lindquist Ctr. N.
University of Iowa,Iowa City, IA 52242 USA
Phone: 319-335-5571     FAX: 319-335-5386
E-mail: <[log in to unmask]>