Within aged care, the focus continues to be on food and nutrition for residents. As we move into the second half of 2024, we continue to prepare for the Strengthened Aged Care standards anticipated to commence in 2025. You may be starting to prepare your spring and summer menu and it is important to do so with an eye towards the future, particularly Standard 6: Food and Nutrition.
How is your organisation partnering with older people to create an enjoyable dining experience?
Older people should be at the centre of menu planning.
Plena dietitians can provide advice on how to include older people in menu planning so that local preferences can be accommodated.
Menus are required to meet the specific nutritional needs of older people, particularly for protein and calcium. Plena dietitians can provide practicable strategies and menu development guidance to optimise protein and calcium within your seasonal menus. Providing opportunity to optimise protein intake across the day is important to reduce unplanned weight loss.
It is a requirement within Standard 6 that each Residential Aged Care home receives a Menu and Mealtime Assessment at least annually. A Menu and Mealtime Assessment is a comprehensive review of your menu, plated meals, the dining experience and how choice is offered within the home plus a focus on many more key areas that impact food and nutrition.
Menu and Mealtime Assessments present opportunities for continuous improvement ahead of the Strengthened Standards and has been an invaluable tool to those homes who have already had this assessment completed. Important to note, that a Menu and Mealtime Assessment will be required for each home therefore it is important to get yours booked in.
Talk to us to learn more about how we can support you to meet the strengthened standards and offer residents optimal nutrition and food choices.
