Meal Assistance in Aged Care
Published: 01 September 2019
Published: 01 September 2019
Requiring assistance to eat daily meals puts residents in a vulnerable position. A great deal of tact and constant communication is 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 is rife in older adults in residential aged care (Leading Nutrition 2019). The reasons for this are multiple and varied, a wave of recent media reports have highlighted the poor standard of food served in Australian aged care facilities (Blumer 2018; Aged Care Guide 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, therefore being 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 a) the meal is properly cooked and prepared and b) that the resident is finishing the meals.
This article will outline methods to provide effective meal assistance in aged care facilities.
Meal assistance relates to Standard 4 of the Aged Care Quality Standards: Services and Supports for Daily Living.
Health complications that may affect a resident’s ability to eat and drink independently include:
(Eat Well Nutrition 2014)
The level of assistance required by clients will vary.
This can range from:
(Eat Well Nutrition 2014)
Immediately after the meal is finished, check the appearance of the resident and their surroundings. For example, help remove any crumbs on their face or clothing and attend to any spills or messes (Care Academy 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 2014).
Even subtle responses could be worth noting, for example if there is a change in the amount of assistance they require or if their behaviour shifts during mealtime and they display anger or frustration (Care Academy 2016).
Imagine yourself in their 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.
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