Standard 6: Food and Nutrition

Standard 6 applies to residential care and has four outcomes: partnering with older people, assessment of nutritional needs and preferences, provision of food and drink, and the dining experience. Outcome 6.1 asks providers to work with residents on menus, meals and dining, and to respond to their feedback. Food is closely tied to culture, memory, comfort and identity. As a worker you help by asking residents what they like, passing on their feedback, respecting cultural and religious food practices, and treating complaints about food as seriously as any other concern.

Outcome 6.2 requires each resident's nutrition, hydration, swallowing and oral health needs to be assessed, along with their preferences, and recorded in the care plan. Older people are at real risk of malnutrition and dehydration, which can lead to falls, infections, pressure injuries and confusion. Workers play a key role by knowing each person's dietary requirements, allergies and texture or fluid needs, watching how much people eat and drink, and reporting weight loss, poor appetite, swallowing difficulties or mouth problems promptly so they can be reassessed.

Outcome 6.3 requires food and drink that is nutritious, appetising, safe and available when people want it, with real choice about what, when and how much they eat. Drinks and snacks should be available at all times, including overnight. Food must match each person's texture and dietary requirements. Workers help by offering choice, serving food that looks and smells appealing, following texture and fluid requirements exactly, making drinks easy to reach, following food safety practices, and recording intake when the care plan asks for it.

Outcome 6.4 requires a dining experience that is enjoyable, social and dignified, and that meets each person's needs and preferences. The dining room should be calm, welcoming and comfortable, and people should be able to choose where and with whom they eat. When someone needs help to eat, sit at their level, go at their pace, talk with them and never rush. Workers also protect dignity with things like proper cutlery and crockery, clothing protectors only when the person agrees, and helping people prepare for meals. The lesson ends with a course summary.

This case study follows Mrs Maria Fernandes, who moved into a residential care home two months ago. She is eating less, her clothes are getting loose and she says the food does not taste like home. Her care worker notices the signs and reports them, and the team works with Mrs Fernandes and her family to bring familiar foods back into her meals. The lesson shows how nutrition, culture and feelings about moving into care are linked. Key points: notice and report poor intake and weight loss, find out what the person enjoys, and involve the person, family and kitchen.

This case study follows Mr Doug Walker, who had a stroke and now needs modified texture food and thickened drinks after a swallowing assessment. At a family barbecue in the garden of his residential care home, he asks for a cold beer like everyone else. The lesson explores how to balance safety and choice: following the care plan, not ignoring his wishes, and passing them on so the registered nurse and speech pathologist can discuss options with him. Key points: texture and fluid requirements are safety instructions, choice still matters, and you raise it rather than decide alone.

This final case study follows a team in a residential care home where residents say lunch feels rushed and noisy. Care worker Mateo and his colleagues work with residents to improve the dining experience, and on the first day of the changes he has to decide how to help a resident who needs assistance to eat. The lesson shows how small, practical changes make meals calmer, more social and more dignified. It ends with a summary of the whole course. Key points: ask residents what they want, sit with and help one person at a time, and never rush.