There have been a lot of posts over the past several months about eating GF when you are hospitalized. One person cited a positive experience. But, many have had a difficult time getting GF food in the hospital. I have had (not right now but in the past) experience working in hospital human resource management and thought I would pass along my experience with how a hospital kitchen can be managed. Understanding this may help folks when they are in the hospital. Sorry this is a little long, but hospital kitchens are complicated.
First, I would like to address visitors (not patients) requesting GF foods. It would really surprise me if these requests can be accommodated. You should ask for GF food in the hospital cafeteria. It is so much more convenient to grab a quick meal there than to go out or to go home for your meals when a loved one is hospitalized. So, if they can provided GF meals in the cafeteria, great. But in my experience, the real function of the hospital kitchen is to provide patient meals. They provide the cafeteria for the convenience of the families, visitors & staff but little time and attention is devoted to this area. Like I said some hospitals may be able to accommodate a GF diet for a visitor but many just do not have the staff or the expertise assigned to cafeteria operations to handle this.
Second, I would like to address patient need for GF foods. The hospital absolutely should be able to accommodate this. It may be difficult and you many need to work with the staff to assure that your meals are GF. But, the hospital should be attending to the patients overall health, not just the illness or injury you were admitted for. So, just as a diabetic with a broken leg should expect and receive sugar free meals during a hospital stay, a celiac should expect and receive GF meals.
The hospital kitchen is broken down into many parts. All of these parts work to provide your meal. So, if there is a breakdown in communicating the meaning of GF in just one of these areas you could be in trouble.
Most people in the hospital kitchen care about patients and want to assure that your dietary needs are met. Ask nicely; explain to everyone in the loop about your special needs. I think most hospital personnel will really try hard to accommodate you.
I transported a good friend, also celiac, from his unanticipated hospital stay to a large nursing home for rehabilitation. I stayed around to help him get settled and answer any questions that might arise about his diet since he is severely lactose intolerance as well as g.f.
The dietitian was not immediately available (What a stoke of luck!) so they sent up the kitchen supervisor instead. She was definitely a trained professional. It was a great experience. She knew little of celiac disease, but she did know the food--what's in it, how it's cooked, and how it's served. She said she had experience cooking for kosher diets, so the milk restriction was not a problem. She asked about various foods--what's allowed--plain meat, veggies & fruit, plain rice & potatoes, no sauces, no breading, no crumbs. We talked about how easily safe foods can be contaminated & how a piece of plain meat or fist could be cooked on a piece of foil. She knew what spices were used in what. She asked even asked about soups--we told her we would bring in safe ones. We arranged to keep his bread in the kitchen on his unit & a dedicated toaster at the nurses station & out of the kitchen to avoid mistakes. She also wanted to know specific brands of cereal & soy milk that would be available locally--they would run out for whatever they needed. Finally, she said she would write up the menu order in a manner that would not allow anyone to 'assume' anything, insuring that the g.f. food stayed g.f. and also speak to the staff about it. We had brochures on celiac disease from Friends of Celiac Disease Research, Inc. & sent her out with enough for herself & her staff.
We also asked her to contact the local distributor of institution food (part of the Kraft "family of fine food") for a g.f. product list which she was happy to do. Even if there is nothing on it that is safe, at least a demand for g.f. has been registered. (While you or I may not be taken seriously, just think what might happen these distributors were being asked for the list from nursing homes, hospitals, school districts, and restaurants on a continuing basis to watch for product changes.)
We saw met with the dietitian a two days later. She went though the standard menu with us as far as personal preferences and was this g.f.--NO, NO, & depends--What's in it? "I don't know." After working through one meal, she said 'you can eat pears.' She knew we had spoken with the kitchen supervisor and said they would work something out. I have little confidence in her ability to deliver g.f. food but I know things will be fine because we had worked it out with the kitchen beforehand.
Another member from our group spent her final days in a nursing home dying of kidney failure (advanced age & lots of other medical problems). She & her family spoke to the dietitian, brought in safe 'comfort' foods (she WAS dying, after all!) spoke with the nurses, and posted signs on the door about the for everyone who would bring food in. As she tried to maintain her g.f. diet for her own comfort in her final days, her only comment was "the only person who had not seen them was the cook! And, she should have..." In a lucky coincidence of timing, we did just that this time. Once we are diagnosed, a gluten free diet is not so much about diet as about food...Make sure you talk to someone in the kitchen!
I mentioned the Friends brochure above. (In addition to coordinating the support group, I am also on the board for Friends.) I always carry Friends brochures to educate others on celiac disease and supplied my friend with a stack for his hospital stay. Everything a new doctor walked into the room, my friend gave him a brochure. Anyone else that asked about celiac, got a brochure as well. Because everyone symptoms & experiences are so unique, it is often difficult to fully explain the vast implications of the conditions to those who inquire. The brochure is written for non-celiacs to create awareness and can facilitate the discussion by providing a very simple overview of the basis. You can find a copy of the text on the web under "What is Celiac Disease?" at www.friendsofceliac.com Friends will mail you copies at no charge so you can help with celiac awareness.
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