Food, Nutrition and Dining Hotline – 1800 844 044
People receiving aged care, their representatives, approved providers, aged care staff, advocacy services, other health and medical professionals can call the Hotline with enquiries, questions, concerns and complaints about food, nutrition and dining.
Aged care providers and staff can call the hotline to:
- speak with professionals about issues, ideas or concerns they may have about providing an enjoyable food, nutrition and dining experience.
People receiving aged care and their representatives can call the hotline to:
- ask questions, seek support and raise concerns or complaints about their food, nutrition and dining experience in aged care.
The Food, Nutrition and Dining Hotline is available on 1800 844 044, 9.00 am to 5.00 pm AEDT, Monday to Friday.
More information on accessing the hotline and what to expect when you contact us can be found in our new resource ‘About the Food, Nutrition and Dining Hotline – provider fact sheet’.
Resources
We've created a series of food-related resources for aged care providers and workers.
Our Food and Nutrition Expert Advisory Group helped to develop these resources. They tested draft versions with providers and people receiving aged care.
The resources are based on 4 priority areas: dining, choice, swallowing and oral health.
They're designed to help providers and workers understand:
- why food and nutrition are important to health, wellbeing and quality of life
- how they can support quality and enjoyable food and dining experiences for people receiving aged care.
Watch our videos on enjoyable food and dining experiences.
Dining
Video
Fact sheets for providers
Fact sheets for workers
Posters for workers
- Know, Observe, Support, Act (a guide to understanding meal preferences)
- 8 facts you need to know about each resident
- Getting the dining experience right
Choice
Fact sheets for providers
Fact sheets for workers
Posters for workers
- Providing food and dining choice
- Food and drink in your aged care: supporting informed choice and risk
Swallowing
Video
Fact sheets for providers
- Supporting safe and enjoyable mealtimes for people with swallowing difficulties
- Manage choking risks in residential aged care
- Nutrition and texture modified food and drinks
- Informed choice and supported decision making for people who plan to Eat and Drink with Acknowledged Risk (EDAR)
Fact sheets for workers
- Supporting safe and enjoyable mealtimes for people with swallowing difficulties
- Nutrition and texture modified food and drinks
- Informed choice and supported decision making for people who plan to Eat and Drink with Acknowledged Risk (EDAR)
Oral health
Video
Fact sheets for providers
- Supporting daily oral health care in residential aged care provider
- KNOW, LOOK, ACT: recognising and responding to oral health issues in aged care provider fact sheet
Fact sheets for workers
Other resources
Goal planning tool
This planning tool helps providers improve food, dining, nutrition and choice for people receiving aged care.
Education support resources
- Food, nutrition and dining: a reflection on practice PowerPoint template for providers
- Food, nutrition and dining stand-up discussion notes for providers
The PowerPoint and stand-up discussion note resources provide suggestions for group learning experiences that provider Learning and Development (L&D) staff and managers can use during training and stand-up meetings. Their purpose is to promote discussion, reflection and education, to support staff with improving the food, nutrition and dining experience of people in their care.
Aged Care Learning Information Solution (Alis)
Our online Aged Care Learning Information Solution includes two modules that support the food, nutrition and dining resources:
- Getting the dining experience right
- Supporting residents' oral health.
Creativity, conversation, and colouring resources
These new resources encourage discussions about food and the life events and celebrations that centre around food, its preparation and consumption.
Engaging older people in activities like colouring in has been shown to have a range of benefits, such as:
- reviving and stimulating memories
- preventing boredom
- significantly improving working memory in those with mild cognitive impairment.
The resources have been created by an artist who also works in aged care settings. They are designed specifically to use with older people. There are six sets of images with accompanying stories and activities.
The resources can be printed out for creative activities:
- in group settings to promote social interaction and stimulate conversations
- with family members of all ages when they visit
- with individuals to divert their attention to a pleasant project.
Webinars
We held a series for providers about food, nutrition and dining. Recordings are available below.
Dining and consumer choice
The first webinar looked at choice and the dining experience.
A case study in food, nutrition and dining
The second webinar explores Whiddon, a residential aged care provider, and their mission to deliver good food and nutrition.
Swallowing, texture-modified diets and nutrition
The third webinar discusses support for people with swallowing difficulties.
Oral and dental health and its impact on eating and nutrition
The fourth webinar looks at supporting the daily oral health of residents.
Resources for people receiving aged care
These resources, designed for people receiving aged care, can help them understand:
- what they can expect from their food and dining experience
- how they can change their food and dining experience to meet their needs and preferences.
Dining resources
- Your choices matter – resident fact sheet
- Enjoying dining resident fact sheet
- Food and dining preferences sheet
- Your dining experience resident poster
Choice resources
- Your right to make choices about food, drink and your experience in residential aged care – resident poster
- Food and drink in your aged care home – resident poster
- Making choices about your food, drink and dining experience – resident fact sheet
Swallowing resources
- Supporting safe and enjoyable mealtimes for people with swallowing difficulties resident factsheet
- Nutrition and texture modified food and drinks: eating and drinking when you have problems with swallowing resident factsheet
- Informed choice and supported decision making for people who eat and drink when there may be a risk factsheet
Oral health resources
- Looking after your oral health in residential aged care resident fact sheet
- KNOW, LOOK, ACT Your oral health in aged care resident fact sheet
- Caring for your oral health resident poster
We also have a Food, Nutrition and Dining page with information aimed at people receiving aged care.
Research
What residents think about the food and dining experience at their residential aged care services
In 2021-2022, we worked with the Older Persons Advocacy Network (OPAN). We surveyed residents of residential aged care services across Australia about their food and dining experience. This report was produced by Health Outcomes International (HOI). It outlines the key findings of the analysis of these survey results.
Analysis of food and dining experiences in residential aged care services
What innovations providers are using to improve meals, nutrition and the dining experience for residents at their residential aged care services
This discussion paper that looks food services in a residential aged care setting. It was published to:
- raise awareness of the impact that food, nutrition and the dining experience has on a person's quality of life, health and wellbeing
- identify evidence-based strategies to help providers improve meals, nutrition and the dining experience for residents at their residential aged care services.
To download the paper, visit the Residential aged care food services discussion paper page.
What complaints tell us about food, nutrition and dining
In 2021, we worked with the Health Outcomes International (HOI) Group. We analysed complaints to the Commission about food and dining in residential aged care from 2018, 2019 and 2020.
To find out more, visit our HOI report on food complaints page.
Feedback
We welcome hearing positive stories and case studies. We also like suggestions on how we can further improve food, nutrition and dining in aged care.
Please send through your stories, case studies and ideas to info@agedcarequality.gov.au. You can also send us any supporting videos, photos or other visual material. Make sure you have permission from people featured in videos or photos before sharing them with us.