Aged Care Industry 2025: Navigating New Standards with Expert Nutrition Support

The aged care industry is poised for significant transformation in 2025, with strengthened quality standards expected to reshape the landscape of nutrition and dining services in aged care homes. With the anticipated implementation of the Strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards, there’s a growing focus on improving meal quality, understanding residents’ dietary needs, and reducing reliance on commercial supplements. Nutrition Professionals Australia (NPA) is well-positioned to support aged care homes, catering staff and dietitians in navigating these changes, ensuring they meet standards while enhancing resident well-being.

Industry Trends and New Standards

In recent years, the aged care sector has seen an increased emphasis on nutrition as a cornerstone of resident health. Weight loss, a critical health indicator, is now reported quarterly, reflecting the sector’s commitment to monitoring and improving nutritional status. Additionally, oversight from nutrition, food, and dining units has grown stricter, with regular spot checks being conducted to ensure nutrition management practices are evidence-based and risk-reducing.

Looking ahead to 2025, the introduction of the Strengthened Aged Care and Quality Standards, particularly Standard 6 (Food and Nutrition), marks a pivotal change. This new standard requires annual menu and mealtime assessments to be conducted by Accredited Practising Dietitians (APDs) for each care home. It’s anticipated that all staff will need more comprehensive training on nutrition’s role in aged care, as insufficient knowledge often results in unmet dietary needs. Such changes represent an opportunity for aged care homes to elevate their dining experiences, but they also highlight a need for resources and training to support these efforts effectively.

Challenges Facing the Aged Care Industry

Despite the commitment to improving nutrition in aged care, several challenges persist:

• Staff Shortages and Training Gaps: Many aged care homes continue to struggle with staff shortages, particularly among trained nutrition professionals. Without adequate training, untrained staff may lack the understanding needed to meet complex dietary requirements.
• Reliance on commercial supplements: Weight management is often approached through costly commercial nutrition supplements. A “food first” approach could deliver the same results more effectively, but it requires expertise in nutrition and thoughtful meal planning with input from APDs.
• Understanding of Nutritional Needs: Poor knowledge of food and nutrition amongst staff leads to missed opportunities for using meals as a tool for enhancing health outcomes. Improving nutrition understanding can reduce incidents of wounds and falls, lower the need for commercial supplements, and decrease the care required from staff.

Supporting Aged Care Nutrition Needs Through Training and Resources

Nutrition Professionals Australia offers a range of resources tailored to address these challenges, empowering aged care homes, catering staff and dietitians to meet the new standards and provide exceptional nutrition support.

• Online Training for All Levels: Our ten-module online training course, led by industry experts, covers all aspects of aged care nutrition, from malnutrition and dysphagia to diabetes and coeliac disease. With over 100 video-led lessons, this course is accessible from anywhere, making it easy for staff to gain confidence in managing nutritional needs. Modules can be purchased individually, allowing facilities to focus on specific areas of interest.
• Tools and Templates: Each training module includes practical tools and templates for immediate use, helping homes streamline documentation and implement better nutrition management practices. These resources make it simpler for care homes to adopt a food-first approach, reducing reliance on supplements while meeting Aged Care Quality Standards.
• Written Resources: Our online library of nutrition fact sheets, dietary guides, and menu templates enables care homes to deliver nutritious, appetising, and cost-effective meals that meet varied dietary needs, from dementia to obesity management.
• Upcoming Webinars: Starting in 2025, our team will offer a series of live webinars covering essential topics in aged care nutrition. This series will be an excellent resource for continuous learning, keeping aged care teams updated on best practices and industry standards. Keep an eye on the NPA website as more details are released in the coming months.

Empowering Better Outcomes

By prioritising nutrition training and resources, aged care homes can improve resident health outcomes while meeting regulatory requirements. A well-rounded meal experience doesn’t just mean better nutrition; it reduces falls, wounds, and the need for high-cost supplements. With the right training and support, aged care homes can create an environment that promotes resident well-being, enhances staff confidence, and fosters compliance with emerging industry standards.

As the aged care sector embraces these changes in 2025, our training and resources are here to support catering staff, care homes and dietitians every step of the way, building a foundation for nutrition excellence in aged care.

Discover our training resources today.