This can cause choking and aspiration that can lead to aspiration pneumonia. Often the CNA will shove the spoon into the resident's mouth at a rapid pace and the resident will lean back because they are eating too fast. The CNA then will assume that the resident is finished eating and move on to the next resident, leaving the rest of the food uneaten. You need to closely watch for any weight loss by your family member. Do not rely on the nursing home's stated weight because sometimes they fudge on the weight to hide weight loss.
Federal regulations require certain corrective measures if there is a significant weight loss.
Good places to check for weight loss is the upper arm and calves. Aging people tend not to lose weight around the abdomen. To check for dehydration, you should look at skin tone and dryness in the mouth and lips, along with pinching the skin on the forehead or the sternum. If the skin sticks together and leaves a ridge, there could be dehydration problem. If you suspect there is a problem, have your doctor run blood tests that determine dehydration and malnutrition such as the albumin level in the blood.