Services provided by the dietitians include

Individual dietetic consultations

• assessing a resident's nutritional status and needs,
• providing individual dietary advice,
• negotiating realistic goals with the resident, family, doctor and staff
• Liaising with the food service staff to provide appropriate nutrition care
• Reviewing the resident's progress
• Review of PEG and NG feeds

Staff Development

• Providing regular in-service education on general nutrition principles in Aged Care facilities, special diets
• Nutrition assessment, prevention and treatment of malnutrition
• Food service training on Texture Modified diets and preparation/use of thickened fluids
• Training on food safety and hygiene standards; preparing, serving and storing food to prevent nutrient losses

Policy and Procedure development

• Contributing to the accreditation process by ensuring quality improvement is carried out in areas relevant to the Nutrition and Hydration and Catering standards
• Developing policies for the use of screening tools to assess nutritional status and protocols for action and referral after assessment
• Dietetic input into multidisciplinary teams eg wound management and advice on drug-nutrient interactions for the medication advice committees

Food service

• Menu reviews and review of food service (standardized recipes)
• Audits on meals served to ensure standard and adequate portions
• Standardizing recipes for thickened fluids and auditing texture modified meals and fluids to ensure compliance with standards
• Advising on cost effective supplementation (high energy supplements made on site and commercial supplements when deemed appropriate)

Dietitians have also been involved in the supervision of dietetic students in quality improvement projects. The students provide a free service to assess aspects of food service eg texture modified diets or supplement use & wastage, with reports and recommendations for quality improvement.

To discuss a how we can provide dietetic support to your Nursing Home, contact Leanne Wagner.

Brisbane Nutrition Services currently provides, or has provided, dietetic services to many Nursing Homes:

• Prins Willem Alexander Village
• All Tricare Nursing Homes - Brisbane, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Toowoomba, Bundaberg, Hervey Bay
• Blue Care Nursing Homes : Lauriston, Nowlanvil, Salvin Park, Melaleuca Place, Bayside Gardens, Nandeebie
• Bethany Christian Care - The Plains Retirement Village, Janoah Gardens, Beth Eden Riverside Village
• Sylvan Woods
• Brookfield Village
• Hill Top Gardens
• Riverview Gardens

Other nursing homes are provided a service on a casual basis.