Nutrition plays a vitally important role in supporting the health and wellbeing of elderly residents in aged care settings. As we age, we begin to face new risks to our health that need to be tackled with a holistic approach, and a supportive, nutritious diet is an important contributing factor. With this in mind, care providers need to ensure that any given aged care food menu residents dine from supports all areas of their wellbeing.
Nutting out their nutritional needs
Elderly residents in aged care environments may face unique dietary challenges that other Australians may not, such as reduced appetites, slowing metabolisms, and age-induced dietary restrictions such as dysphagia.
Care providers and caterers need to walk the fine line of serving balanced meals that support a resident’s health without abandoning personal preference. The meals served need to place a focus on delivering as much nutritional value as reasonably possible, but they need to remain appealing to residents – and in a context where weight loss is a significant potential issue, serving up what residents like is a major concern.
Crafting Cater Care’s menus
Cater Care’s aged care food menu planning procedure prioritises the health and wellbeing of our residents without compromising on their personal mealtime experience. Our menus are built from a wide pool of individually assessed meals, puzzled together by the site team with the aim of satisfying strict nutritional requirements that account for calorie intake, protein content, fibre presence, and other vitamins and minerals essential for remaining in good health.
We use several internal standards in addition to meal selection to encourage menu variety. Seasonal availability heavily influences a site’s choice of meals, and we require that each mealtime offers a range of options prepared through various cooking techniques to avoid “roast lamb fatigue”.
After a proposed menu has been developed, it is passed along to our in-house dietitians on the Food Team for review. They carefully review the total content of the menu against current nutritional targets and the health and demographics of the site residents, and either approve the menu or make necessary alterations to ensure that everyone is supported.
Variety is the spice of life
It’s not enough for your menus to be healthy – they need to be appealing too. We shape our services based on feedback from our clients and residents, and our regular Food Forums are the first port of call for any resident who wishes to see modifications to their menu. This dedication to acting on feedback is what allows us to tailor diverse and culturally appropriate menus for any body of residents, anywhere in Australia.
Our SoupedUp software solution ensures that a resident’s likes, dislikes, and dietary requirements are only ever a tap away. This allows staff advance warning of any dietary restrictions they’ll need to account for before beginning a meal service and make adjustments accordingly, whether it’s as complex as preparing a substitute meal for a vegan or as simple as swapping out ham for religious requirements.
Getting ready for review
In a world that has placed additional scrutiny on aged care catering since the Royal Commission, understanding and supporting the dietary needs of your residents is more important than ever. Cater Care remains committed to serving high-quality, nutritious meals that support the health and wellbeing of our elderly residents, and we pride ourselves in operating a menu design process that is purpose-built and tailored for your residents’ satisfaction.
If you’d like to give your care staff one less thing to worry about and rest easy knowing that everything you’re serving has been signed, sealed, and certified by expert dietitians, then contact our aged care expert via the details below.
