Picture this: you walk into a nice restaurant – it feels calm, pleasant, and inviting. Everything has been designed to put you in the mood for eating. What does the dining room in that restaurant look like? How does it put you in the mood for eating? How can we translate the look and feel...

As part of the new AN-ACC funding model, many homes will now also be required to complete the Braden Scale for Predicting Pressure Sore Risk to determine the residents’ needs in your home. In the nutrition section of the Braden Scale assessment tool, you will need to assess: What constitutes a serve of meat? The...

Choking is the second most common cause of preventable death in residential aged care in Australia (Ibrahim et al., 2017) and the leading cause of premature death in people under the age of 65 in residential aged care (Cartwright et al., 2021). But what exactly is choking? And how can we keep our residents safe...

Food waste is a large problem in residential aged care (Unilever Food Solutions, 2022). In NSW it is reported that food businesses, including residential aged care facilities (RACF’s), discard one third of the food served as waste (Unilever Food Solutions, 2022). It has been found that “the NSW Aged Care sector alone generates a massive...

We all experience grief differently and respond to death and dying from the perspective of our own personal, spiritual or cultural beliefs. For some, the topic is very difficult to contemplate, let alone discuss, while others are more comfortable talking about and navigating the challenges that arise during this natural part of life. It is...

Good nutrition is an essential ingredient for wound healing and prevention. Did you know that pressure injury prevalence has been reported to be 16-23% in combined hospital and residential aged care populations? (1,2) Chronic leg ulcers affect 1-3% of people aged over 60 years, with incidence increasing up to 5-10% in the 80+ age group....

Helping someone to eat can significantly improve the experience of mealtimes for everyone involved. Remember helping someone doesn’t necessarily mean physically assisting someone to eat. Wherever possible, everyone is encouraged to eat independently if they can. Here are some tips to empower you in helping beyond ‘feeding’ someone. Be mindful, each person will benefit from...

Have you ever seen the same recommendations provided after each Speech Pathology swallowing assessment and wondered ‘why?’ 1: Here we breakdown the common Safe Swallowing or Aspiration Reduction Strategies: Alert and upright at 90degrees for whole duration of meal and at least 20 mins after intake. Alert: hopefully this is intuitive! But if someone is...

For individuals with dementia, it is very important to maintain good nutrition in order to prevent deconditioning and malnutrition. It is common for people with dementia to find eating meals a challenge as dementia progresses, and this can contribute to weight loss. Individuals with dementia may experience: Changes in appetite and intake Concerns with teeth,...

Here are some simple and effective strategies to support communicating with people who have dementia. It’s as easy as remembering the word FOCUSED. Face the person - maintain eye contact and say their name before talking. Orient to topic - use repetition, use names, remind the person of the topic Continue the topic - stay...