Meal Assistance in Aged Care
Published: 24 June 2024
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Published: 24 June 2024
Requiring assistance to eat daily meals puts residents in a vulnerable position. A great deal of tact and constant communication are needed from the healthcare staff providing this care.
There are steps you can take to make a resident’s mealtime as dignified and as seamless as possible.
Alarmingly, unplanned weight loss and malnutrition are rife among older adults in residential aged care, with about half of all aged care residents being either malnourished or at risk of malnutrition (Dietitians Australia 2023).
The reasons for this are multiple and varied. One potential cause is the poor standard of food served in Australian aged care facilities, which has been highlighted in various media reports (Blumer 2018; Stopford 2018).
Another factor to consider is that older people have weakened immune systems and may have a heightened fear of food poisoning or food complications, making them reluctant to eat food they have not prepared themselves.
One simple way to increase the likelihood of a resident receiving the nutrition they need is to play an active role in their mealtime. In doing this, you are able to observe that:
This article will outline methods of providing effective meal assistance in aged care facilities.
Standard 6: Food and Nutrition - Outcome 6.4: Dining experience (Action 6.4.1) under the strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards requires aged care providers to support older people with eating and drinking by:
(ACQSC 2024a)
Health complications that may affect a resident’s ability to eat and drink independently include:
(Eat Well Nutrition 2020)
The level of assistance required by clients will vary.
This can range from:
(Eat Well Nutrition 2020)
(Aged Care Guide 2014; Eat Well Nutrition 2020)
(Aged Care Guide 2014; Health.vic 2016; ACQSC 2024b)
(Aged Care Guide 2014; Health.vic 2016)
Immediately after the meal is finished, check the resident’s appearance and surroundings. For example, help remove any crumbs on their face or clothing (Elderly Health Service 2024).
Make sure the resident has finished eating before clearing their plate (ACQSC 2024b).
Make an appropriate closing remark at the end of the meal - do not simply pack up and leave without saying anything (Health.vic 2016).
If you’ve noticed that the resident is not eating or drinking enough on a regular basis, communicate this to their family and relevant supervisors and document appropriately, such as in their care plan (Aged Care Guide 2014).
Before escalating the issue, try to find out if there’s a simpler reason why they’re not eating, for example, if the food isn’t to their liking or if they would rather eat at a different time of day (Eat Well Nutrition 2020).
Imagine yourself in the resident’s place and approach meal assistance with sensitivity. Bear in mind that while a person may need significant help at mealtime, there is a difference between being helpful and undermining a person’s independence. Remember that your role is to share the mealtime experience with the resident and allow them to dine with dignity (Aged Care Guide 2014).
Question 1 of 3
Which one of the following is an acceptable action while providing meal assistance?