Partnering with older people on Food and Nutrition Strengthened Aged Care Standard 6.1 focuses on working with your residents and in doing so also making continuous improvements to the food service. As everyone works towards being compliant with the long awaited Strengthened Aged Care Standards, now is a good time to start thinking about how...
Is your aged care facility ready for the malnutrition screening Strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards? Do you currently screen your residents using a validated malnutrition screening tool or have systems in place for this? Standard 5.5.5 of the new Strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards The provider implements processes to maintain an older person’s nutrition and...
As part of the new incoming Standard 6, aged care menus will need to be assessed annually by an Accredited Practicing Dietitian (APD) using the recommended Dietitian Australia aged care menu review tool, currently known as the Menu and Mealtime Quality Assessment tool. This tool currently covers nutrition related matters in line with the Standards...
Delirium is characterised by fluctuating changes in cognitive function and occurs most often in older adults. When a person has delirium, they may be confused, agitated or even quiet and drowsy. Delirium is often caused by a number of factors including infection, constipation, dehydration, malnutrition, pain and medication changes. Delirium is often distressing for the...
Some residents are not able to meet their nutritional requirements with food alone and require nutrition supplements. This article follows on from our recent article on the “Food First Approach” for optimising nutrition for the aged care industry. Nutritional Supplements As the term suggests, nutritional supplements are used to ‘supplement’ the diet, not to replace...
Our portion audits and aged care menu reviews, show that the daily food group that most often comes up as lacking is dairy. Most of us know about the 5 core food groups and how we should be consuming a certain number of serves from each food group for good health. The results of our...
A ‘food first’ approach to optimise nutrition and prevent unintentional weight loss or malnutrition is deemed best practice within the aged care sector. Good nutrition becomes increasingly important as people age. To meet these nutritional requirements, residents are encouraged to eat small regular meals frequently throughout the day. Foods and drinks should be ‘nutrient dense’...
Did you know that dietary care provided by a dietitian can assist with the management of wound healing and pressure injuries? The skin is the largest organ of the body and undergoes significant changes during the ageing process. As the layers of the skin change, its normal function as a barrier to infection, protection, temperature,...
Adults over 65 years are more likely to be affected by sarcopenia. Sarcopenia refers to an age- related loss of muscle which results in a loss of strength and muscle function. The risk of sarcopenia increases with age. Why are older adults more prone to falls? Sarcopenia is caused by a number of factors, including:...
Vitamin D intake has long been associated with the maintenance of bone health in older adults, but also in the management of Dementia. Many studies have established the importance of adequate Vitamin D levels in the management of various conditions including cognitive decline, dementia, depression, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and cancer (Meehan &...
