Posted on Tuesday, 21st January, 2020
2019 saw the launch of the New Aged Care Standards in Australia and the global introduction of the International Dysphagia Diet Standardization Initiative (IDDSI).
For Aged Care Chefs, 2020 looks to be a year of implementing many aspects of these two big updates to Aged Care.
While neither of the two launches will change what Aged Care Chefs do - create and serve flavoursome food - they have both impacted the way this is done and this has created new challenges for Chefs, kitchen staff and food service staff.
One of the biggest changes due to the New Aged Care Standards is the way facilities are audited. Previously, audits were booked in and facilities had time to prepare. Now, audits are unannounced, and the audit process has shifted in focus from the facility staff to the residents themselves.
What this means for Aged Care Chefs in 2020
Facilities need to be ‘audit ready’ and the best way to do this is to make sure everything is well documented so an auditor can quickly and easily see what has been done, and how. This is particularly relevant when it comes to resident choice.
There can be a discrepancy between what is safe, or what has been prescribed by a speech pathologist or dietician, and what an individual would prefer to eat.
To comply with an audit, a staff member must clearly discuss the options and risks with the resident and document the interaction so an auditor can understand both the situation and the outcome for the resident.
Expect to see more efficient ways of documenting day-to-day interactions with residents to make audits easier.
The New Aged Care Standards have also emphasized the need to treat the elderly as a customer and not as someone who is ‘unwell’.
The dining experience is becoming more personalized to the individual, and hotel standard service is starting to be incorporated into food service in Aged Care.
What this means for Aged Care Chefs in 2020
1. Restaurant style menus
Allowing your customers to choose from a menu, rather than giving them a choice of one or two options, increases the likelihood of people having a meal they want - and can eat.
Menu style ordering should also include several texture-modified meals for those on pureed diets to choose from. As one chef we interviewed this year said: “One texture-modified meal on the menu does not constitute ‘choice’.
With over 60% of Aged Care customers on some form of texture-modified diet, much more emphasis needs to be placed on how many such meals are included as part of meal plans.
2. Customer focused food service in the dining room
Another trend is the introduction of staff in the dining room whose role bridges the divide between care staff and food service. Training care staff to work as wait staff is not uncommon.
At a recent conference hosted by the Lantern Project, several speakers talked about introducing basic training in waitressing skills for care staff - to the extent of having an acting maître d’ assist with making sure everyone has been fully catered for in terms of food, comfort and other needs. This includes having a carer eat with them and assist where necessary.
Expect to hear more about what innovative ideas these facilities are implementing to help customers feel welcome, cared for and included.
The introduction of IDDSI has given Aged Care kitchens the opportunity to deliver texture-modified meals with consistency of texture using simple tests which are easy to conduct and easy to repeat.
What this means for Aged Care Chefs in 2020
As IDDSI becomes more familiar to those working in Aged Care kitchens, Chefs and kitchen staff are becoming more confident in how they adapt recipes to different texture levels and how they can achieve these different levels.
Food labeling for texture-modified products is also underway so IDDSI levels 3 and below are becoming easier to manage as more products become IDDSI compliant.
Expect to see more development in texture-modified recipes with specific help on achieving different texture levels.
