Safety is one of many factors that needs to be considered when care homes are preparing meals for residents living with swallowing difficulties, known as dysphagia. Texture modified diets are the primary treatment for these conditions, therefore ensuring that residents are provided with the correct texture is essential for their health and wellbeing.

Whilst texture modified foods can carry a negative stigma, they often provide significant comfort for those requiring them. Eating regular textures may be painful and modified textures can ease this discomfort to make the meals safer and more enjoyable.

If meals are incorrectly prepared or altered to match flavour preferences, the consequences can be severe, including choking and, in the very worst cases, death. Since 2018, deaths due to choking amongst the elderly have increased by an alarming 57%, and a 2019 report revealed that people over 65 are at significantly higher risk of choking-related deaths in hospitals and care homes compared to their own homes.

A choking incident is not only terrifying for the individual but also for caregivers, particularly if they are assisting with feeding. If there is any uncertainty about a resident's swallow ability and the suitability of dietary textures, consultation with a speech and language therapist is vital to assess and recommend safe textures.

There are a few ways that care home teams can help to reduce the risk for those living with dysphagia and help to provide peace of mind to both residents and their families.

Firstly, staff can test meals to ensure that they meet a safe texture for the individual needs of the resident. The International Dysphagia Diet Standardisation Initiative (IDDSI) developed testing methods that can be carried out using common eating utensils, including forks and spoons, to confirm the textural characteristics of a meal. These can be performed by anyone and can be accessed for free on the IDDSI website.

For residents who take longer to eat everything on their plate, staff should also be encouraged to re-test the consistency of the meal after 30 minutes to ensure that it is still safe for the resident to eat.

Preparing a safe texture modified meal can also be time-consuming and challenging, which is particularly problematic when working with reduced labour in the kitchen or a high turnover of staff. Here, pre-prepared options are a great solution as they ensure consistency and safety of the meals whilst still being easy to cook and requiring a lot less hands in the kitchen.

To ensure safe preparation and sufficient nutritional intake, it is essential for care home staff to understand dysphagia and its implications, as well as have training in preparing texture modified food properly and a familiarity with tools like the IDDSI testing methods.

Exploring pre-prepared options can also support care homes by providing convenient options that give confidence to both staff and residents.

To find out more about the award-winning Specialist Nutrition range available from apetito, visit apetito.link/carehomes

For care homes looking for a specialist nutrition solution to work in harmony with kitchens providing a fresh-cook meal service, you can order through Wiltshire Farm Foods Professional – requiring no contract or commitment. Call the local team on 01225 234 510 or visit wffpro.co.uk.