F111: Mealtimes and Nutrition

F111: Mealtimes and Nutrition

Mealtimes are important in nearly everyone’s life. Learning and social experiences are associated with planning, preparing, and eating meals. As a community support worker, you help people make choices about the meals they will eat, show them how to prepare food safely, and encourage them to participate in the social experience of eating with others.

Learning Outcomes

After completing this module, you should be able to:

1. Discuss the potential health risks of being overweight and guidelines for healthy eating.
2. Discuss the relationship between health and nutrition.
3. Describe how to assist with meal planning.
4. Describe different types of special diets.
5. Identify types and levels of assistance for individuals who are unable to eat independently.
6. Describe and demonstrate safe feeding practices and proper positioning when assisting with eating.
7. Discuss how to create a positive mealtime experience and avoid behaviour problems at mealtimes for the individuals you support.
8. Describe the function of a gastronomy tube (G-tube) and ways of making mealtimes more positive experiences for individuals with G-tubes.
9. Discuss guidelines for handling food safely and ways of teaching/demonstrating these practices to the individuals you support.