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Spiritual and Dietary Counseling

Sets how the Agency makes counseling available to patients and families: the spiritual assessment and spiritual counseling given in keeping with the family’s beliefs and acceptance, help bringing in the family’s own clergy, dietary counseling by dietitians, nurses and other qualified people when the plan of care calls for it, and other counseling for caregiver training and adjustment to the approaching death.

Preview: full text with a package
About this policy
Policy number
DC-HSP-CNS-01
Version
1.0
Main rule
42 CFR §418.64(d)(2)-(3)
Library
Washington, DC hospice · 60 policies
Category
Clinical tasks
Sections
19

In short

  • Tell every family at admission that spiritual counseling is available, whatever their faith.
  • The chaplain completes a spiritual assessment within 5 days of election and respects the family’s beliefs.
  • If the family wants its own pastor, imam, rabbi or other leader, help arrange the visit.
  • Record any faith practices wanted at or after death so every staff member follows them.
  • Nurses give routine diet advice. Ask for a dietitian or speech therapist for complex needs.

What's inside

19 sections. The full text comes with the One-time Policy Pack.

Full text with a package
  • Terms of Reference
  • 1. Purpose
  • 2. Scope
  • 3. Definitions
  • 4. Policy Statement (42 CFR §418.64(d))
  • 5. Spiritual Counseling
  • 5.1 Telling families about the service
  • 5.2 Spiritual assessment
  • 5.3 Providing spiritual counseling
  • 5.4 Qualifications of spiritual counselors
  • 6. Dietary Counseling
  • 7. Other Counseling and DC Medicaid
  • 8. Responsibilities
  • 9. Records and Compliance Monitoring
  • 10. Staff Training
  • 11. References
  • 12. Related Policies and Forms
  • 13. Approval
  • 14. Revision History

An inspector may ask

  • How do you tell patients and families that spiritual counseling is available?
  • Show me the spiritual assessment for this patient and how the plan of care reflects it.

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