practical living
Keeping it fresh
Dietitians are available to provide
essential services virtually for
residential aged care homes.
By Dietitians Association of Australia
With necessary health measures
implemented to combat the
spread of COVID-19, the
Dietitians Association of Australia (DAA)
encourages residential aged care homes to
embrace change to continue the delivery
of health services.
This comes as many accredited
practising dietitians (APDs), along with
other allied health professions, are unable
to attend residential aged care homes to
provide essential services, raising questions
about the impact this will have on the
health of older Australians.
Current data indicates that malnutrition,
or those at risk of malnutrition is present
in up to 50 per cent of aged care
residents. Without intervention from
trained professionals such as APDs, the
risk of malnutrition rises, as too does the
susceptibility for residents to fall unwell and
experience ongoing poor health.
As safety measures for COVID-19 are of
utmost importance, exploring innovative
ways to provide healthcare to residents is
a must. Without it, residential aged care
homes are likely to experience:
• A wave of malnutrition and
subsequent deaths in the months
to follow. Research shows social
isolation and loneliness significantly
increases malnutrition risk for aged
care residents. 2 Without closer
monitoring or intervention, residents
who are lonely, whose intake has
reduced, or who experience weight
loss are at a significantly higher risk
of malnutrition and poorer health
outcomes, including death.
• Increased rates of wounds, pressure
injuries and falls. Poor nutrition
increases the risk of all these
conditions. Nutrition screening
and treatment of any degree of
malnutrition is integral to the
prevention and healing of pressure
injuries and related wounds, and in
the prevention of falls.
• Negative impacts on the provision of
nutritious meals, snacks, beverages
and texture-modified meals to
residents. This requires the ongoing
support of an APD in food-service
planning and co-ordination.
The answer: harnessing the power of
virtual services
Many dietitians have adapted their
practice due to the nature of COVID-19.
This includes providing consults through
tele-conferencing and virtual methods to
ensure aged care residents can still receive
the care they need, while providing peace
of mind regarding risk of infection.
Julie Dundon, advanced APD, highlights
how dietitians can continue to support the
health of older Australians when physical
access to aged care homes is restricted.
“When granted remote access, dietitians
can deliver detailed nutrition care plans
and regularly communicate with the food
service and nursing teams. It’s important
that aged care homes take these proactive
steps, to help prevent our most vulnerable
from experiencing unplanned weight loss
and becoming more frail,” she says.
APDs are available to provide video
conferencing consultations to residential
aged care homes to assist with:
• malnutrition screening and
malnutrition management
(where remote access or similar
to resident files is granted)
• nutrition assessment
• nutrition care planning
• menu planning
• meal reviews
• mealtime environment reviews
• advice on assistive eating and
drinking
• staff nutrition education and
ongoing training.
Good food and nutrition are essential for
the physical, mental, social and emotional
wellbeing for older Australians. If you are
seeking the services of an APD, you can
connect with a local dietitian in your area via
the ‘Find an Accredited Practising Dietitian’
search function on the DAA website. ■
Dietitians Association of Australia is
Australia’s largest and most influential
organisation for dietetic and nutrition
professionals, representing a growing
membership of 7200 across Australia and
overseas. Its mission is to support our
members and advocate for important
issues that impact the health of the
Australian community.
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