Did you hear the news? Kids are getting sick from their lunchbox lunches. When my children were young, I was a school nurse. After lunch, bellyaches were a common complaint in the school health room. Most of the time the kids had had enough of school and wanted to go home. I’d ask them if they ate lunch and what they ate never assuming that their home lunches could be the source of their discomfort. Taking time to pack a kid’s lunch is an act of love, you would think? Now we’re making our kids sick with our own unintentional home grown agar plates! Yikes!!
So once again while reading one of my blogs you may be thinking…what does this have to do with geriatric home care? Well, think again. How many times have you heard patients complain of some sort of GI distress or disturbance? Heartburn, bloating, diarrhea, stomach pain or nausea triggers most of us to consider an adverse drug effect. GI symptoms are regularly listed on the ‘menu’ of adverse reactions. I love it <scratching my head> when constipation and diarrhea are both listed. Naturally, we often look to our patient’s medications as the primary cause of their distress. Nurses who are expert in geriatrics may also consider the affects of aging and chronic disease on gastric motility, another possible culprit of GI distress.
But wait…here comes a connection to the lunchbox! Have you queried your patients about what they had for lunch? Maybe we should find out how old the food is in their refrigerator…. catch a glimpse of their kitchen…or even better a look in their refrigerator if the opportunity arises! At the very least, when GI symptoms or a diet discussion occurs, we should take a minute to explore the possibility of our patient’s food making them sick. We’re hearing so much about the cost of healthcare and drugs. Something as simple as assessing and intervening with home food safety may save our patients [and school kids for that matter] from undue suffering and wasted resources.
Happy and Healthy Munching to All!!!
Debra Bertrand, CHAMP Facilitator
