MI HB5389

Allows nursing homes to employ dining assistants to provide feeding assistance to patients without complicated feeding problems, with patient consent and charge nurse assessment documented in medical records.

Requires dining assistants to complete an 8-hour department-approved training curriculum covering program overview, patient rights, communication, behavior response, patient monitoring, infection control, feeding techniques, safety, and end-of-life care.

Dining assistants must be at least 17 years old, work under nurse supervision, and cannot perform other nursing services or be counted toward nursing staff ratios.

Dining assistants are subject to criminal history checks and nursing homes must maintain written records including name, address, training completion date, and background check documentation.

Exempts family members and friends from training requirements but allows nursing homes to offer the training voluntarily.