HenderCare’s dietetics team are passionate about empowering older people and those living with a disability to build a positive relationship with food and nutrition.
They start by spending time with a client, their family and their support team to gain an understanding of medical history, daily life and eating patterns, including getting answers to questions like how, what, when, where and why the client chooses different foods and fluids.
HenderCare dietitians can then help by:
- Providing nutrition information relevant to the client’s life and disability-specific needs
- Helping to plan regular, nutritious meals and snacks
- Working with support teams to create a menu for each week
- Working with a client’s Speech Pathologist to ensure the foods being eaten are safe to swallow and enjoyable to eat
- Helping the client and the people around them to develop a food budget and shopping routine
- Providing recommendations for nutrition supplements that increase nutritional intake and functional capacity
- Create a tube feeding plan (if the client has a feeding tube)
- Working with support workers, nursing and medical teams to ensure the tube site is looked after and the tube is changed regularly
- Providing information about ordering formula and equipment for tube-feeding
Dietitians have a lot of knowledge about food and nutrition, but also about eating behaviour.
If you have concerns about the foods you eat or your body, they can also discuss your concerns and find ways to ensure your relationship with food and your body is safe and supportive.
To learn more about dietetic services with HenderCare, call the team on 1300 764 433.