In the lead-up to NAIDOC week – 6 to 13 July – it’s important to talk about the unique food, nutrition and dining needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in aged care.
When Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living in residential aged care services are served food and drink that they don’t know or like in a busy dining room, it can be a negative or isolating experience.
There are ways to support and celebrate the culture of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander residents.
We spoke to Lyn Duckworth, the lifestyle coordinator at Juninga Centre Aged Care Facility in the Northern Territory.
Lyn has worked at Juninga for more than 17 years. She believes in providing person-centred care from the time each person wakes up to the time they go to sleep. Lyn says that cultural training gives staff an insight into the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. It’s key to understanding who they are.
Lyn told us that Juninga does regular audits to make sure people are receiving culturally appropriate food. They also have a weekly bush tucker BBQ where they cook kangaroo stews and damper. You can follow Juninga’s example to create enjoyable and meaningful mealtimes.
Tips for creating meaningful mealtimes
- Understand cultural preferences and practices
- Respect food preferences by including foods that meet Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ cultural and regional preferences.
- Connect with community groups and talk to community Elders and residents to understand and source traditional ingredients.
- Include traditional foods in the menu such as bush tucker and other foods like kangaroo, turtle, bush tomatoes, local seafood and Kakadu plums.
- Involve elders and residents in planning a menu that is culturally relevant and accepted.
- Ask Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to share their favourite recipes and include these on the menu. Offer cooking activities so people can prepare and eat traditional foods together.
- Ask for feedback: ask older people and their supporters to give feedback on food and dining. When asking First Nations people if they like the food, it may help to use visuals to help them understand and share their views and ideas.
- Create a culturally safe dining environment
- Create a welcoming space. Use artwork, music, language and cultural symbols of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in dining areas. Give people the option to eat outdoors.
- Promote shared dining so Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people can gather together for mealtimes.
- Respect food rituals and understand and respect customs around preparing, sharing and eating meals.
- Provide the right allied health support
- Dietary assessment and planning: a dietitian can assess nutritional needs and provide recommendations to promote good health.
- Mealtime safety and enjoyment: a speech pathologist can assess and provide strategies to safely manage eating, drinking and swallowing difficulties.
- Modify meals and support choice: involve speech pathologists, dietitians and other allied health professionals to offer modified versions of traditional meals. They can also explain eating and drinking with acknowledged risk (EDAR) and how to support people’s choices.
- Give staff access to education and training
- Support cultural competency and make sure all staff receive training in cultural safety, including food customs and communication styles.
- Visit our First Nations Hub for resources that support culturally appropriate food, nutrition and dining for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
