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Food and nutrition
31 January 2025   Published

I receive plenty of food and drinks that I enjoy. Food and drinks are nutritious, appetising and safe, and meet my needs and preferences. The dining experience is enjoyable, includes variety and supports a sense of belonging.

- Expectation statement for older people

What is the intent?

Access to nutritionally adequate food is a fundamental human right. Food, drink and the dining experience can have a huge impact on a person’s quality of life. As people age, they may lose their appetite or experience conditions that impact on their ability to eat and drink. As such, it is particularly important that providers engage with older people about what and how they like to eat and drink, deliver choice and meals that are full of flavour, appetising and nutritious (including for older people with texture modified diets), and support older people to consume as much as they want and exercise dignity of risk.

In many cultures, food also plays a large role in fostering feelings of inclusion and belonging. The experience of sharing food and drink with other older people, friends, family and carers is important for many older people.

Providers must draw on Standard 3 in delivering food services to ensure this is informed by robust assessment and planning, and services are delivered in line with the needs, goals and preferences of older people. It is also critical for providers to monitor older people for malnutrition and dehydration and respond appropriately where concerns are identified – this is addressed as part of Standard 5.

Standard 6 is intended to apply only to residential care services.

Key tasks

Information for governing bodies*

This guidance should be read in conjunction with Quality Standard 2 which relates directly to the governing body*.

The governing body* plays an important role in aged care and services. They’re responsible for an organisation delivering quality care* and services (Outcomes 2.2 and 2.3).

The governing body* needs to:

  • supervise provider activities
  • lead a culture of safety, inclusion and quality
  • help identify and address issues.

It is important the governing body* puts in place processes* to check the organisation’s strategies for delivering tailored care and services meet each older person’s needs and preferences.  This includes monitoring the organisation’s performance, such as by reviewing reports on:

  • how they’re delivering care and services
  • how they’re managing complaints*, feedback* and incidents* (Outcomes 2.5 and 2.6)
  • the quality of care and services workers are delivering. For example, through quality assurance or system reviews (Outcome 2.8).

Make sure the organisation has a culture of safety, inclusion and quality by monitoring and investigating areas you find in the organisation’s reports you can improve. Identify opportunities and make recommendations to your organisation to improve its culture of safety, including quality care*. Provide feedback* and support to the provider*.

You also need to monitor the performance of any subcontracted providers.

If you find any issues or ways you can improve, you need to address them.

If things go wrong, you need to:

  • practise open disclosure*. This means being open about what has gone wrong. Share this information with older people, their family and carers*
  • have strategies to reduce the risk of things going wrong again.

The provider* guidance for Outcome 2.3 has more information on open disclosure*.

Standard 2 provides detailed information for governing bodies*.

Key tasks:

Track how the organisation assesses the nutritional needs* and preferences of older people.

This includes the nutritional, hydration and dining needs* and preferences of older people. Providing nutritious* and suitable food is an important part of providing quality care*.

The governing body* needs to oversee the organisation’s activities. This includes reviewing reports on:

  • assessment and planning of older people’s nutrition, hydration and dining needs* and preferences
  • food, drinks and dining experiences* for older people.

Track how well the organisation designs and prepares food and drinks.

The governing body* needs to oversee the organisation’s activities and review reports on the:

  • strategies they use to provide food and drink to older people. Providers* need to develop menus that meet older people’s needs and preferences
  • food, drinks and dining experiences* of older people.

Track how well the organisation supports older people to eat and drink.

Organisations should support older people to eat and drink in a dining environment, which should support them to be social. It should also improve their quality of life*. You need to review how well the provider* partners with older people to make the dining experience* enjoyable for them.

You can find more resources on the role of the governing body* and governance* at the Commission Resource Centre

The Commission developed the Governing for Reform in Aged Care Program to support the key recommendations of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety. The Program supports governing body members, leaders and emerging leaders to strengthen corporate and clinical governance capabilities and enact critical reform.

What does this Standard mean for workers?

Standard 6 describes requirements for providing older people in residential care with nutritious, appetising and safe food and drink and enjoyable dining experiences*.

Tips for workers

Workers* involved in assessment and planning

You should find out the older person’s needs, goals and preferences* in relation to food, nutrition, drink and the dining experience* and manage any associated risks.

Risks may include:

  • clinical and other physical issues that impact a person’s ability to eat, including:
    • oral health
    • ability to chew and swallow
    • the impact of medications on appetite
    • the impact dementia* can have on appetite
    • dysphagia and dexterity
    • dietary needs and modifications (including nutritional needs, allergies and intolerances, texture, and cultural and religious needs)
    • preferences, including what they like and dislike, and favourite foods
  • the level and type of support an older person needs to eat or drink, including:
    • seating and positioning needs
    • dexterity
    • needing physical help to eat and drink
    • needing to be reminded to eat
    • needing help cutting up their food for them
    • specialised mealtime assistance.

Also see Standard 3.

Workers* involved in menu development and cooking

Your organisation should have processes* for actively involving older people in designing menus. This includes finding out what foods and drinks should be on offer to create an enjoyable dining experience*.

You should assist your organisation with getting feedback* on a regular basis from older people about the menu, meal quality and dining experience*. Use feedback* to shape menu offerings, make sure meals meet the preferences of older people, and improve the overall dining experience*.

You should follow the food safety principles outlined by your organisation. You should make sure the food prepared and served to older people meets their individual care and services plan*, as required by legislation.

You should think about how to present food and drink to older people in an appealing and appetising way. This may include, thinking about:

  • presentation
  • temperature
  • plating
  • presentation of texture modified foods (including through use of moulds, piping or scoops).

You should offer choice and variety for older people. For example, by:

  • offering a variety of options for every meal
  • having different condiments or sides available to accompany meals
  • changing the menu regularly*
  • having meals for special occasions, such as themed events
  • letting people make their own basic snacks and meals when they want to.

You should have nutritious snacks or alternative meals available for older people who:

  • want to eat between meals
  • may have missed the regular meal service
  • don’t want to eat what is on the menu.

You should provide opportunities for older people to share food and drinks with their loved ones. Allow food from outside the service to be brought in and let loved ones to join meals at the residential care home.

Workers* involved in supporting people to eat and drink

You should know and support each individual’s needs, goals and preferences* in relation to food, drink and the dining experience*, including:

  • whether they need to be reminded or supported to eat or drink
  • whether they have particular seating requirements or need certain utensils
  • where they like to eat and who they like to eat with.

It’s important older people get the help they need to eat and drink, otherwise they can be at risk of malnutrition or dehydration. Your organisation should make sure sufficient workers* are available to support older people to eat and drink in a way that meets their needs, goals and preferences* and at a pace that suits them.

You should recognise when an older person has not eaten much and ask them why. It could be because:

  • they didn’t like the food
  • it wasn’t served at the right temperature or in an appealing way
  • they didn’t have the support they needed to eat or drink
  • there are other issues (for example, where they are not feeling well or they are upset).

It’s important to monitor and document when older people are not finishing their meals. Let management know so such issues can be addressed.

Support processes* for getting regular feedback* from older people about their food, drink and dining experiences*.

It’s important to check how satisfied older people are with the quality, temperature, and presentation of their meals, as well as their preferences for dining arrangements and support. Workers* should create opportunities for feedback* and conversations, record any concerns, and bring them to management to help improve the dining experience*, to support Standard 2 and Standard 6.

Key concepts:

Dignity of risk*

Dignity of risk* supports an older person’s independence and right to make their own choices, even if those choices involve some risk. If an older person’s choices are possibly harmful to them, you are expected to help them understand the risk and how it could be managed to help them live the way they choose (linked to Standard 1).

Some older people may choose to consume food and drink that has been identified as a risk to them. For example, these risks could be:

  • certain ingredients (such as sugar, salt or fat)
  • the serving size, texture and consistency of food and drink
  • fast food
  • food cooked by family
  • food that could be difficult to swallow or could lead to choking*.

Older people can choose to accept these risks so they can enjoy their meal. You must respect their decision. Where an older person lacks capacity to make an informed decision, you will need to work with their substitute decision maker* to find a solution that supports the older person’s wellbeing* and independence.

Supporting older people to make informed choices* about all aspects of their food,
drink and the dining experience* is a key part of maintaining their quality of life* in residential aged care.

Creating appetising foods

The food, drink and the dining experience* can have a huge impact on a person’s quality of life*.

As people age, they may lose their appetite and become less sensitive to flavour or experience conditions that impact on their ability to eat and drink. As such, creating nutritious, flavourful and appetising meals that meet older peoples’ diverse needs can be a challenge. Food is personal and preferences are complex. What is appealing to one person may not be appealing to another.

It’s important to engage with older people to understand their likes and dislikes, and ways you can improve their enjoyment of food.

The dining experience*

The dining experience* is a combination of the food and drinks provided, the service, and the atmosphere. This experience impacts on an older person’s quality of life* and wellbeing*.

You should make sure food and drinks are accessible to people with mobility or access needs. Meals should be easy to reach and seating or table arrangements should accommodate all physical abilities.

To support a positive dining experience*, you may think about:

  • table and seating arrangements and opportunities for social interaction
  • music, temperature, lighting and ambience
  • how the food is presented, including plating, serving size, temperature and smell
  • how workers* interact with older people to help them eat
  • opportunities to promote an older person’s independence and reablement*.

An enjoyable dining experience* can bring pleasure to an older person, improve their wellbeing* and quality of life* and increase the chance of them eating their meals.

 

Acknowledgement of Country

In the spirit of reconciliation, the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and their connections to land, water and community. We pay our respect to their Elders, past, present and emerging and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.